The Avatar's Anagnorisis
by agnikai58
Summary: Asami and Korra are invited to visit the Fire Nation by Firelord Izumi. Along the way they begin exploring their relationship and become entangled in a conflict neither is expecting. Rated M for sexual content, violence and implied activity. Mostly canon.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note 8/10/2016: This was my first attempt at writing fanfiction and in hindsight it's bad/shouldn't be read by anyone. Luckily I have a better version going up that you should go read instead. s/12099783/1/The-Avatar-s-Anagnorisis-Redux

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Korra sighed as she stared out over the Sato estate at the nearby trees. She was sitting on a window sill in one of the towers. It had been a month since she and Asami had returned from the Spirit World. In hindsight, Korra wished she had brought a larger pack so that they could have stayed longer.

Just like when Korra was recovering the Red Lotus poison, the world had continued moving on without her. Bolin, Suyin and her family had returned to Zaofu. Lin and Mako remained in what was left of Republic City overseeing the police as they dealt with constructing a new city and patrolling what was being called the Spirit Ruins. While it had started to become a tourist attraction, there were issues with looting amongst the abandoned buildings, to say nothing of the dangers that came from the new Spirit Portal.

Kuvira had been tried, convicted and locked away somewhere by the White Lotus. Korra didn't even know which nation she was being held in or how they could even keep someone with Kuvira's bending abilities in prison. She had to admit that they had held Zaheer's team for well over a decade until Zaheer gained airbending. Baatar JR had been tried as well, but Suyin's influence had kept him out of prison. Instead, he had been placed in Varrick's charge and ordered to assist him and Zhu Li in undoing his actions under Kuvira.

Prince Wu had returned to the Earth Kingdom, following through on his promise of dismantling the monarchy. Tenzin and his airbenders had gone with him to help with the elections and dismantling the education camps.

She had offered to help them all, but everyone had told her to take things easy, that things were under control. Toph was right, the world didn't need her anymore. At least until things started going horribly wrong anyways.

Korra sighed again and rubbed her forehead for a moment until she heard a laugh behind her. "You're starting to look like Naga when she's been cooped up for too long." Korra turned to see Asami behind her, a bemused look on her face. Asami was wearing her usual red and black coat with the half gear on her shoulder. She held a piece of paper in one hand, the other resting on her hip.

The Avatar stood up starting to pace "I'm not used to sitting around like this, I've always had a goal in the past or someone to fight against. Mastering the elements, Amon, Unalaq, the Red Lotus, Kuvira, I've always had something to do. But now? Everything is being handled by someone else and doesn't need my help. It's just like after I was poisoned, the world doesn't need me."

Asami frowned in response "You're allowed to take some time off every once in a while, you don't have to do everything yourself. And you don't need to prove yourself to anyone, you've done more then what can be expected or asked of anyone else."

She looked down at the message she was holding in her hands. "I have an idea, I received an invitation from Fire Lord Izumi today. She's expressed some interest in a business arrangement with Future Industries, you should come to the meeting with me. You've never visited the Fire Nation right? This is an invitation to the Royal Palace in Capital City. Come with me, it'll be fun." And having the Avatar as a guest could give me some negotiating leverage she thought to herself.

Asami was right, she never had been to the Fire Nation. And it wasn't like she had anything better to do. She turned hugging Asami impulsively. "You're right, let's go."

Asami started, surprised at Korra's sudden decision and quickly went rigid as the Avatar closed the distance and embraced her. Her heart started beating faster at the close contact and despite herself, she remained still in surprise as she looked slightly downwards at the shorter woman. As the embrace went on, she started to move her face down slowly towards Korras, her lips parting slightly.

Korra's face started to turn red as she realized what Asami was doing. There had been a few moments like this in the Spirit World, but she had backed away each time, unsure of what her feelings towards Asami actually were. They were close friends and had fought together since the Equalist rebellion, she cared for her for sure, her feelings were like what she once held for Mako, but at the end of it, they were both women.

"Is the Avatar joining us Miss Sato?" The sudden question from Mako's grandmother, Yin, caused both Asami and Korra to jump then back away from each other looking embarrassed. Asami coughed, then turned towards the elderly woman "Yes, we'll be leaving in an hour. Is that enough time for you to gather your things Korra?"

Korra, her face still blushing, nodded not trusting herself to speak. She hurried out of the room receiving a curious look from Yin as she did so.

Asami frowned slightly as she watched Korra beat a hasty retreat from the room. It was obvious that the the Avatar was interested in her, but every time she made a move, Korra found some sort of excuse or reason to break the moment. Well, there would be plenty of time to discuss the matter once they were alone on the way to the Fire Nation.

She turned towards the elderly woman "Are you sure you won't stay here? The railway is still damaged so you'll have to wait in Republic City for it to be repaired before returning to Ba Sing Se." Yin gave her that patiently tolerant look that all old people somehow had mastered. "We know that dear, but we've imposed on you enough already and the war is over. Our place is among our people during these elections." Yin turned and walked away down the hall. Asami faintly heard her muttering to herself as she went. "Dissolving the monarchy, oh Prince Wu you foolhardy boy."

Despite Yin's obvious determination, Asami made one last appeal to Yin as she got out of her truck. "Are you sure you don't want to stay at my house? It could still be dangerous in the Earth Kingdom." Yin shook her head "No dear, we'll be fine as I said. You and the Avatar should ..enjoy yourselves my dear." Asami blinked startled at the expression on Yin's face. What seemed like a look of contempt only lasted for a moment and quickly disappeared, but it had been there.

She turned towards Korra, "There anything you want to do or get before we leave Republic City Korra?" The avatar rubbed her chin for a moment before shaking her head "No I don't think so, I have everything I need in my pack already. Are you ready to see the Fire Nation?" Asami smiled "Let's get underway then, I hope you brought something to read." It was a quick truck ride to where Asami's aircraft was docked and they were lifting off in short order.

Asami finished setting the coordinates as she engaged the auto pilot. She glanced out the window for a moment towards the ocean below before pulling out a small hand mirror from her pocket. Looking down, she cast a gaze over the makeup she was wearing. Everything was fine, but she applied a thin layer of lipstick anyways. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders "You can do this Asami, it'll be all right." She turned away from the helm and made her way back towards the passenger area of the airship. There was one other person on the ship besides her and Korra, but the handyman had instructions to stay on the lower levels. That left the upper floor for just her and Korra.

She found the Avatar standing near one of the windows gazing outwards. If you looked to the east, you could just barely see the glow from the Spirit Portal amidst the ruins. Asami moved slowly not wanting to be heard. Her heart began to beat faster as she moved closer. The pace gave her plenty of time to admire every curve of the Avatar's body. Korra had abandoned her usual fur lined clothes in favor of garb that would be better suited to the Fire Nation's warmer climate. A bead of sweat started to run down Asami's forehead, both from the sight in front of her and what she was planning to do.

Once she drew within arm's reach, she reached out grasping Korra by the shoulders and spinning her so they were face to face. Korra started to utter an exclamation of surprise but was cut off as Asami leaned forward and crushed her mouth against Korra's. Her heart had been beating quickly before, but now it felt like a hammer was pounding against the inside of her chest.

Korra had fought in wars, journeyed to the spirit world, battled against some of the most powerful benders in the world. She had even faced Vaatu in single combat and won. But nothing, nothing in her life had been as exhilarating as this moment with Asami. Every nerve in her body seemed to come awake as her world shrank to just the two of them. It felt wonderful and awful at the same time. The guilt was as strong as the pleasure she felt at that moment. After what seemed like an eon, she broke away from Asami and stepped back, taking a deep breath. "Asami..."

Asami shook her head and put two fingers on Korra's lips silencing her. "I'm speaking first here. I've admired you from the first moment we met. You're the strongest and most amazing person I've ever met. Even when we were both chasing Mako, I never hated you. I was hurt yes, but I never actually hated you. When you left after Jinora's ceremony, it felt like a part of me was missing. I realized then that I loved you. I've been trying to say it ever since Varrick's wedding and in the spirit world, but you kept changing the subject/being elusive with me. I'm not letting you run away from this anymore, I know you care about me, what I don't understand is why you won't give us a chance."

As Asami spoke, she had stepped forward again placing her hands on the Avatar's sides. Korra remained me still as she attempted to collect her wits . Despite her best efforts, she couldn't think of anything to say. Bursting into tears, she pushed Asami's hands down and ran from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Korra stayed in her quarters for the remainder of the trip. Asami had come by later that evening with some food hoping to talk things over. There was no answer to her knocks or querying. She tried opening the door, but it was locked. Asami left the tray of food outside the door and returned to the helm. She came back the next morning taking the tray from the previous night, Korra wasn't foolish enough to starve herself at least. She left another plate of food in its place, this couldn't last for very much longer at least, they would be at Capital City before noon and Korra wouldn't stay locked away for that at least.

Asami flicked on the radio "This is Asami Sato from Republic City. Requesting permission to dock."

There was a brief moment of static before a voice responded. "Permission granted Miss Sato. Please proceed to airship dock number three. Do you have any passengers besides yourself?" "I have one mechanic onboard and Avatar Korra will be joining me on my visit." There was a brief pause in the communication, she heard their microphone being turned off then back on a minute later. "We are honored by the Avatar's presence Miss Sato, a delegation will arrive shortly to escort you to Firelord Izumi. Enjoy your stay."

Asami guided the airship down to it's designated spot, landed and shut off the engines. She flicked a switch and picked up the internal microphone "We've touched down Lee, feel free to visit the city, just remember to get back to the ship at night." "Will do Miss Sato, you don't have to worry about me, just make sure you and Avatar Korra enjoy your trip."

She set the microphone down then turned and made her way back towards Korra's quarters to let her know that they had arrived. To her surprise however, the Avatar was already waiting for her in the common room.

Korra turned towards Asami as she entered the room and took a deep breath. "I've thought about what you said yesterday. I'm still sorting through it all and I'm not sure what to say just yet. Would it be all right if we pretended that yesterday didn't happen? I just need...time."

Asami was surprised, she hadn't been expecting this kind of response after the way that Korra had run off yesterday. She stepped forward taking one of her hands with both of hers "I'm willing to wait for you, you know that. But please don't wait forever." She put on a smile at the end. "Now come on, let's go meet the Fire Lord, and don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to explore the city when we get to business."

Korra nodded "All right then, I'm curious though. What kind of deal are you working out anyways? I figured you'd be focused on rebuilding Republic City." Asami frowned at that "I'm not actually sure, the message didn't give any information, it just said it would be very profitable. I thought it was a hoax until one of the ambassadors from the Fire Nation came to the Estate and repeated the invitation. And Republic City will be fine, my vice president is handling all that. They can get along without me for the time being. This could be far more important anyways." Asami gestured towards the doorway "Come on , let's see what the Fire Nation has in store for us."

As they disembarked the ship, Korra took a look at the group waiting for them He was wearing a uniform somewhat similar to what the old Fire Nation soldiers had worn but didn't seen like a high rank though. As she approached, he bowed at the waist "Avatar Korra, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Capital City. The Fire Nation is honored by your presence. And lest I forget my manners, it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Sato, we've heard much about your role in working with the Avatar over the years. I am Commander Yao of the Royal Palace guards. Are you ready to visit the palace now?"

Asami smiled in response "Please lead the way commander." As they moved through the city, Korra found herself stopping as she approached a sculpture in the middle of a square. It looked like steel but had been scorched and burned all over. As she looked at it, she realized it was a small scale representation of the Capital City. "Excuse me commander, but what is this?"

The commander turned to see what she was looking at. "This piece is known as the Last Agni Kai. Lord Zuko ordered it's construction after he ascended to the throne. It's meant to depict the side effects of the fight between him and Azula during the last approach of Sozin's comet. The flames they threw at each other set the city ablaze. A few people died from the resulting fires and many others were injured. When Zuko learned what had happened, he ordered Agni Kai's outlawed and changed the law to be harsher on those who place cities in danger by being reckless with their bending."

Korra considered the carvings a moment longer then continued walking again"Will we meet Zuko here? I haven't seen him in years." The commander shook his head "No, Lord Zuko moved away from the Capital City after he stepped down from the throne. He lives on Ember Island I believe." The commander pointed as they passed through a gate. "This is the edge of the Royal Palace's estates. That path will lead you to the palace entrance. Avatar Korra, Miss Sato, it's been my pleasure."

As Asami and Korra approached the doors, a servant came to meet them. "If you will follow me, I'll show you to the meeting room." When they entered, they saw Firelord Izumi conferring with a cloaked figure on the far side of a conference table. She turned and bowed somewhat, less then the guard, but still notable "Avatar Korra, Miss Sato. Allow me to welcome you to the Fire Nation. It has been far too long since we've had the pleasure of the Avatar's presence. Please be seated, we have much to discuss."

She took a seat at the head of the table, Asami and Korra seated themselves next to each other. The hooded figure turned, threw her hood back and sat down herself without any greeting or comments. Korra turned to see Asami looking back at her, both equally confused. What was Ginger doing at this meeting?


	3. Chapter 3

Korra and Asami glanced at each surprised before turning their attention back to Ginger and Izumi. Asami was quick to gather herself though "So, what can I do for the Fire Nation? Your message was quite vague, I'm unsure what services you wish of Future Industries or myself."

Izumi remained silent for a moment. "When I visited Republic City during what was supposed to be Wu's coronation, I took the liberty of inspecting the changes made to the city, to see if there were any improvements we could bring to our nation. I was originally planning to make this offer to Varrick. After meeting him though, I was less certain about it. It was Ginger here who brought you to my attention at the time and suggested that I rely upon Future Industries instead. I would have preferred to keep this within the Fire Nation, but our engineers don't have the same level of inventive spark that you or Varrick have shown."

She slid a folder towards Asami "This contains all the projects and upgrades I hope you'll assist us with." Asami picked it up and started leafing through the papers. Railways for the entire Fire Nation. Sewers, roadways, water, power distribution systems. Maintenance contracts for all of the above. Asami's eyes lit up so brightly that someone in Omashu or Ba Sing Se could have seen it.

Asami broke her gaze away from the papers to at Ginger curiously "So this whole meeting was your idea? I must admit I'm surprised to find you so concerned with railways or the civil engineering. Or that you have the Firelord's ear for that matter."

Ginger smiled at that. "I can understand your surprise in this matter, my persona of a shallow empty headed snobby actress was a facade. I will admit I enjoyed the luxuries that came as a result of it however. But that wasn't my mission at first. As Izumi said, our engineers aren't as brilliant as Varrick or yourself Asami. My original assignment was to try and get close to your father in hopes of obtaining any advanced technology that I could. You have my condolences on his passing by the way. But the Equalist rebellion wrecked all my plans. After that, I turned to our secondary target, Varrick."

As Ginger spoke, both Asami and Korra found themselves stunned to silence. Ginger, the snobby actress from the Nuktuk movers was a spy for the Fire Nation? Korra had to admit, she had never once considered the redheaded woman to have any substance to her.

"While my goal may have been to steal blueprints or pieces of technology, I saw a much greater opportunity when I learned about Varrick's movers. I was there when you approached Varrick about a business deal, do you remember? That time when he thought could levitate."

Asami paused a moment thinking back "Yes... he showed us a mover of an ostrich horse running, I remember him asking you to do some poses then as well. Is that what this is about, movers?"

Ginger stood up and gestured towards a projector sitting on the table "Once I realized what could be done with this, I made copies of the blueprints and sent them back home. As reward for my initiative, Izumi placed me in charge of this particular technology. Since then, I've become her...favorite shall we say. Anyways, would it surprise you to learn that we have improved upon these?"

Korra shrugged in dismissal, but the engineer in Asami was clearly interested. "Improved in what way exactly?" Ginger reached down and pressed a button on the projector. The mover began to play on a screen hanging on the wall. The mover appeared to be some kind of Fire Nation festival.

"The Fire Nation always been adept at improving on technology that someone else has created. In this case, as you can see, the image quality is superior to the original devices of Varrick. Plus it's in color, not the black and white images you're accustomed to." She turned smiling at the two "But the biggest change they made was this." Ginger reached down pressing another button and music began to play. "The movers that Varrick produced had sound added to them after they were filmed. Our cameras however, actually capture the sound of what's being filmed. That could be music, people speaking or other sounds we might make." She turned crossing her arms as she regarded Asami and Korra. Korra appeared surprised and somewhat disinterested, but Asami was more curious "How long have these existed and why haven't I heard of them before?"

Ginger reached down turning the device off. "These machines, so far, are difficult to make and maintain, this one is used by Izumi and her husband, she allowed me to have it brought down from her quarters for this sake of this meeting. They have existed for about two years now and there are currently one hundred of these display units in existence. All of them are owned by Fire Nation nobility or some wealthy merchants in the middle class. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the potential in this."

Asami nodded "I see, it would be interesting to get my hands on these, if they could be mass manufactured, we could sell them to the public for use in their homes or have places where movers could be shown to the masses, like how we used the pro-bending arena. People would form companies to make movers of their own. Nuktuk would just be the start of it all." She trailed off at the edge as she looked at Ginger beginning to catch on. "This is part of the deal I take it?"

Ginger nodded then grimaced slightly "It is. And this is where things get...complicated for the pair of you. While these devices are in the hands of the nobles, I own all the legal rights to these machines, the movers they play and who gets to lease them. Currently there are only a few movers in existence that my... organization has put together."

Asami nodded, the message was clear. Ginger's demands had to be met in order for Asami to get her hands on this machine. It was as tempting as the railway contracts. "So what are your demands exactly? I'm to help mass manufacturing this device I take it. In exchange for what?"

Ginger nodded. "This proposal is to both of you. There are several offers here, but they all fall into the same area, the amount you choose decides what exactly you receive. If both of you agree to all of my requests, then the rail contracts are yours for life, not Future Industries, yours Asami. In addition to the manufacturing rights to the display units, you will receive a percentage from every unit and mover sold. If both of you refuse, then you get the rail contract for five years Asami merely for considering this."

Asami glanced at Korra "Well, it's not just me anymore, what do you think?" Korra shrugged "It can't hurt to hear what Ginger wants." Ginger gave a hesitant and fake looking smile at that "You may not like this so much as you think."

She turned back to the unit, removing the reel currently loaded and inserting another in its place. "Do keep in mind Avatar that this is just a business proposal, nothing about this is intended to be insulting. I would hate for you to do anything... untoward." Korra frowned for a moment looking somewhat bewildered "You don't need to worry about me, I can handle...whatever this is."

Ginger nodded as she started the mover. This time, the mover was of Ginger herself standing in a well decorated room in front of a bed. Seated on the bed was a rather handsome man that neither of them recognized. The real Ginger took a seat at the side of the table out of the way paying no attention to the mover. Instead, all her attention was focused on the other two women in the room.

Ginger began to dance on the screen, her movements were slow and sensuous. Korra found herself admiring the grace shown, but once Ginger began to disrobe, her admiration first turned to surprise then to shock as the now nude woman pulled off the man's pants. As Ginger took the man's dick into her mouth , Korra shot to her feet abruptly knocking her chair over in the process. "What the hell is this!?"

Asami had a similar look on her face, but said nothing. Ginger reached over and stopped the mover. The image and sounds ceased as she braced herself. "I'll be honest, this is the reaction I was expecting, but please hear me out both of you. This may seem lewd or obscene and in many places it is. But the world is changing. In places that cling to ancient traditions or prejudices, sex is seen as something negative, something to be ashamed of. And in those same places, women are treated as secondhand citizens or chattel in some places. And the final thing is how people who are interested in their own gender are treated. I'm trying to change that, in my own small way."

As she spoke, both women glanced at each other when she mentioned genders. Yes, the interest was definitely there, but as she studied Korra, it didn't seem like something she would be able to use. That would merely make this more difficult.

Korra started to speak, but Asami cut her off. "How does filming you or anyone else having sex change anything for women or for anyone at all? You're selling sex for another person's pleasure. There are plenty of women who get by just fine. You're speaking to three of them right now."

Ginger sighed slightly "I understand where you're coming from, but neither of you are good examples of where women actually stand in the world. Neither is Izumi, she inherited her throne from Zuko. You Asami, were born into wealth and you're an engineering genius on top of that. Korra, you're the Avatar, the most powerful person in the world." As Ginger continued speaking, Korra sat back down, that much she could be grateful for. Korra frowned "And who should we look at as a typical woman? You?"

Ginger shrugged "You could do that, I came from nothing, my family were farmers of no account. I'm not a bender, engineer or of noble birth. Everything I have, I earned using my body and my wits. How do you think I got onto Varrick's ship to begin with? I use what I've been given and risen higher then I ever dared to dream. I want to make a positive impact on society but I'm just Ginger, a peasant turned spy turned actress."

Korra's face had lost most of it's hostility as she listened to Ginger speak. However, it was Asami who spoke. "I'll admit you have me curious, but you haven't explained how this can help women or what it is you want us to do. And if it's merely a question of releasing some... adult movers, you already have filmed yourself doing this. What do you need us for?"

Ginger gave a soft smile in response "My hope is to find a woman of real influence or fame, someone whose actions can have an impact on public opinion. The videos I've filmed of myself have gotten me to where I am. I've had an impact on the nobility here, Izumi in particular. However this is only behind closed doors, I would be shunned if I went public myself, I might even disappear. However, the two of you can have a much greater impact then I ever could. You've done as much for Republic City and the world as anyone, save perhaps the woman sitting next to you Asami. Not to mention your exploits fighting alongside Korra since the Equalist revolution. You're a legendary figure, though you may not have realized it. And you Korra, everyone knows who you are Avatar."

Korra rested her chin on her hands as she leaned forward placing her elbows on the table. "And you want to...what, film us having sex with a man like you were?" Ginger shook her head "I wasn't planning on involving any men this time though I could oblige you in the future if things go well."

She picked up another folder from the table and slid it across the table to Asami. "I'm afraid I have only this one copy. I wasn't expecting your presence Korra, but you or any other person could easily fill any of the spots where it says my name. I don't have to be a part of this, it could just be the two of you. I'd like you to give this some honest consideration Korra. You've constantly been at war ever since you emerged on the world stage. Everything you've achieved, save perhaps the return of airbending, has been the result of violence. There are other ways to have an impact on the world and this could be one of them."

She stood up and bowed slightly "Both of you have my thanks for hearing me out. When you make up your minds, simply send a message to this address letting me know your decision." With that, she donned her hood, hiding her face and walked out the door.

Asami looked at the folder in her hands then at Korra. "Come on, let's get back to the airship, we can discuss this there without worrying about anyone overhearing us."


	4. Chapter 4

Korra was clearly still angry after their meeting with Ginger. As she stormed back and forth across the room, flickers of fire started to appear around her hands then briefly vanish. "I can't believe she has the audacity to ask... THAT of us and pretend like it'll actually help anyone."

Asami finished pouring the pot of tea she had brewed. "I'll admit her request is very unusual, but she made some valid points." Korra turned towards her "What valid points? Filming people having sex won't accomplish anything besides entertaining some perverts."

Asami set both cups of tea on the table as she sat down. "She did make decent points regarding the treatment of women in the world. I don't mean to be insulting, but you___are _the Avatar Korra. You were raised by the White Lotus, you never wanted for anything and had the best instructors provided to you. I was brought up similarly by my father, he had me trained in as many combat styles as he could."

"Ginger's right when she says we're part of the lucky few. Many women have arranged marriages or are sent off somewhere else because their families can't provide for them. Some places are better then others, such as Republic City or here in the Fire Nation. And even today, can you honestly say the Northern Water Tribe is much better then it was when Katara and Aang visited? Surely she's told you about how they treated her."

Korra ceased pacing as Asami spoke, by now the flames had stopped appearing. She picked up the cup of tea and sat "Yes, Katara told me that story, but she didn't give up and Pakku agreed to train her." Asami shook her head "That's true, but Pakku didn't train her because she refused to give up, he trained her because of who her grandmother was. Even now, Water Tribe women still primarily focus on the healing aspects of water bending."

Asami picked up the folder "At the very least, let me see what she's asking us to do, it could be as simple as asking us to take off our clothes." Korra snorted in response as Asami continued to read "Let's see, she mentions three possible options. One solo act, 'instruments' or dancing at discretion of performer. One solo act on a... machine. The third involves Ginger as a partner, but she specifically mentioned that anyone could replace her which means that it...could be me and ..."

As Asami's voice trailed off, her gaze remained fixed on Korra and her face went red. "You." Korra's face turned a matching shade as she pulled her arms close to her and looked down at the ground bashful. "I guess it would..."

Abruptly Asami started giggling uncontrollably and fell out of her chair. Korra rushed forward kneeling down "Are you ok?" Asami looked up at her as she stopped laughing "I'm sorry, the look on your face, this whole situation, I couldn't help myself." Korra put her hands on her hips indignant "You think this is a joke? That woman is asking us to whore ourselves out and break one of the oldest taboos we have."

Asami sat up folding her legs underneath her and leaning on one hand. "That's why you've been running away from me isn't it? You're afraid of the fact you fell in love with another woman." Korra started violently in response to Asami's words "I...I..." She stopped speaking and remained silent for a long moment before replying "Yes."

Asami leaned forward taking her face in both hands and drawing their foreheads together. "I know I've said this before, but I love you Korra, and I know you love me. So what if we're both women. What difference does it make? Really? We're still both human beings, we have the right to choose who we want to be with. Some people won't approve, but they can't make your choices for you or my choices for me. We're both capable of making our own decisions, if we choose to love each other, what right does anyone else have to say that love is wrong?"

Korra closed her eyes as she listened to Asami speak. As she went on, Korra could start to feel the guilt slip away. Who were the White Lotus or the Earth Kingdom or either of the Water Tribes to tell her how she was supposed to feel? She could make her own decisions, she was the Avatar. They would have to deal with it. "Korra?"

Asami's inquiry snapped her out of her thoughts "You still with me here? I'm not going to let you escape by meditating into the Spirit World you know." Korra pulled back briefly surprised then started laughing. After a moment, Asami joined in. As Korra's laugh trailed off, she found herself looking Asami in the eyes. Asami was right, she did love her. Korra reached out with one hand moving a lock of hair dangling in Asami's face and tucked it behind one ear. Then she leaned forward pushing her to the ground.

Asami started to push herself back up, but didn't make it further then putting one hand on the ground before Korra grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the ground above Asami's head. The avatar bit her lip for a moment as she considered Asami beneath her. Then she moved her face downwards crushing their mouths together. The kiss from the day before had been lingering in the back of Asami's head since it happened. It had been nice, but being kissed by Korra here made that one vanish into nothing.

Asami tugged at her wrists willing Korra to let go. After she obliged, one of her hands found it's way to the avatar's neck, the other sliding around her back to pull her all the way down on top of her. As their bodies drew closer, Korra moaned against her mouth. She started to sit up taking a deep breath, but Asami refused to let her get away so fast and sat up with her. She started trailing kisses down the avatar's face and chin as her mouth made it's way to her neck. Korra moaned again as Asami's fingers abandoned their previous grips and made their way to her chest, giving a soft squeeze. After another deep breath, Korra's voice broke through the moment "Asami...wait"

Sato paused looking up at Korra's face but chose to leave her hands where they were. A slight tinge of frustration ran through her, she had figured out what's Korra's problem was and broken through it so quickly. But if Korra wanted to take this slower, that was fine. "What is Korra?" She kept her voice soft so as not to give the wrong impression. Korra looked down at Asami, she could see the momentary frustration and she giggled for a moment. "The cameras aren't on, in fact they're not even on this ship."

Asami had been hoping to break through Korra's barriers on this trip, but she hadn't been expecting this. "Let's take a minute and catch our breath here. I can't tell you what it means to know that you're starting to accept your feelings for me, but you're changing your position on this whole thing so suddenly. Just a few minutes ago, you were so angry that you were firebending on accident."

Korra remained silent for a moment as Asami's words sank in. "I... you're right. Just kissing you, having you touch me like that, I lost control. I dated Mako before, but he never made me feel like this. This is all...so...so..." She trailed off unable to finish the sentence, but Asami understood instantly. "You've never been with anyone like this before, have you?" She shook her head "No I haven't...I mean I understand the anatomy...but I never..."

Asami smiled and pulled the avatar's face in for a short kiss "It's fine. In fact, I kinda like this, I get to have you all to myself. Now, I haven't decided myself, I plan to think this over tonight. I will say this though. If you decide to do this and need a partner, I won't refuse you, even if I don't do the solo act. And if you're uncomfortable with me as a partner for the mover, I promise not to be jealous of Ginger, though I will insist on having you first. That isn't up for debate. "

With that, Asami leaned in kissing her again "Take as much time as you need to think this over. There's no need to make a hasty decision." With that, she stood up and walked out to give Korra space to think it over.

Later that night Korra shifted in her bed staring at the wall. She knew that Asami would be also be awake as they both made their decisions about Ginger's proposal. After their conversation in the common room, she knew she wouldn't have any issue with making love to Asami after this. And she had needed release in the past, so that wasn't anything new to her. But what did Ginger mean by instruments and a machine? It was that, and the whole thing being recorded that bothered her. How many people would end up seeing this?

What would her parents or Tenzin say? Bolin would probably say that's it's just acting, but he was an actor in his own right, though he did get Ginger's character mixed up with the actual person. Or Mako, he had dated both of them in the past, the idea that he might have had turned both of them into lesbians would bother him to no end, though he might never admit it. Come to think of it, was she a lesbian now? She wasn't sure about that other then her feelings for Asami. She turned towards the wall as her thoughts continued racing through her mind.

In the other room, Asami sat her desk as she studied the railway schematics, some of the flaws were obvious to her, but she could see how the fire nation engineers had missed them. The only problem she saw would be finding a group of metal benders who could maintain the railways. She set the drawings down and glanced over at the papers Ginger had given her.

She jumped at hearing a knock on her door. "Yes?" "Can I come in Asami? it's me." She stood up and unlocked the door to let Korra in. "This is a surprise, can't sleep tonight?" Korra nodded looking sheepish "So I've been thinking it over since this morning. And I want to do it, and I don't want Ginger in my bed. I want you."

Asami smiled softly"Well then, I expect the two of us are going to be busy girls this week, or however long it takes." Korra smiled back, moving inside and closing the door behind her. "One more thing, I want you to... take my virginity on camera. Ginger was right about me being able to influence people's opinions and it would make more of an impact if people knew my first time was with a woman, with you."

Asami blinked surprised at how bold Korra seemed about this "Are you sure, we could just say that you're a virgin on camera. Nobody but us would know the difference and it wouldn't be as awkward since you've done it before."

Korra laughed at that "There's actually a secret about that us Avatars keep. My connection to my past lives may be gone now, but during my dreams, I would occasionally start to drift through their memories. Those memories were usually related to whatever the dream had been about. I've seen several of the past Avatars when they were...active. I may not have done it in this life, but I can promise you that I won't be awkward."

Asami stared at Korra "I've never heard of this before, though I can see why none of the past Avatars ever mentioned it." She coughed "You already know I won't refuse being your partner, but what have you decided about the solo parts?" Korra shifted her feet "I'm still a little unsure, I want to see what Ginger means by instruments and a... machine. But I'm most likely going to say yes, I don't do anything halfway." Asami smiled at that "Well, I have an idea, but I'd rather not say anything, I'd rather you make up your own mind on those. Is there anything else? It's starting to get late." Korra nodded "I want to stay in your bed tonight, no sex or anything, I've always slept alone or next to Naga before. I'm curious to see what it's like to fall asleep having my arms around someone."

Asami giggled "Well I won't promise not to feel you up a little, do you have any nightclothes?" Korra shook her hand "I... uh.. no I don't." Asami turned to her dresser opening it and looking inside "Let's see, I think this chemise should work, though it'll be a tight fit for you. We'll have to go shopping later and get you some proper woman's attire.

Korra took the purple chemise looking it over, then glanced up at Asami waiting for her to turn around. She shook her head, a playful look on her face "Now don't be bashful Avatar, we'll be seeing every part of each other soon enough. If it helps, I'll go first." As Asami started peeling off her jacket and gloves Korra's breath quickened. It wasn't long until the other woman was down to her underwear, every curve showing, her hair unbound and those legs that kept going on forever. It wasn't fair, Korra felt like a brutish hulk in comparison.

Asami took a few steps closer pulling the chemise out of her hands "Come on Korra, you're not spending the night in my bed unless you change first." Korra flushed as she stripped down to her underwear and pulled the chemise back, putting it on. Asami had gone back to the drawer pulling out an identical piece of clothing "We might as well match our first night together in bed." She giggled as she lay down.

Korra sat down beside her before laying down and moving to slide her arms around the other woman. To her surprise, Asami squirmed away slightly as she swam her hands underneath the avatar's arms and pulled Korra so that her back was to Asami's chest. She started to protest but Asami cut her off, her voice soft. "I know you're the Avatar and you're used to being in charge, being the hero, the person everyone expects to hold things together. But you don't have to do that with me when we're alone, you're not the Avatar here. You're just Korra and **I **get to hold you." Korra remained silent for a moment then turned her head to gently kiss Asami's lips. "Thank you."

They ate a small breakfast the next morning. They had already sent the message out and were waiting on it's response. "So how are we going to do this Asami? I want us to be together the entire time for this, solo act or no." Asami looked down at her tea before responding "I'd like that as well, but it's called masturbation, not a 'solo act'. We'll do that first, no toys involved. That'll ensure you're still a virgin for when I'm using the toys on you. As for the ...machine, I need to see what that means here, but that will be last if we decide to do it."

Korra blushed as Asami spoke "Masturbation, you say it so simply and without any fuss or hesitation, aren't you at all nervous? You're acting like this isn't a big deal for you." Asami shrugged slightly "I'll admit this whole scenario is extremely unconventional, but I have plenty of reasons to do this, both personally and professionally. Landing this railway contract secures the future for Future Industries and myself. To be honest, I'm more concerned about how this will impact you Korra. No one doubts your strength in battle, but this will test you in an entirely different way and part of me is afraid you won't cope well with how some people are going to react."

Korra shrugged slightly then reached out placing her hands on top of Asami's "People have had a negative opinion of me ever since I opened the Spirit Portals. Raiko actually exiled me from the city because of the Spirit Wilds. Things may be rough in the short term, but I'll be able to handle it with you at my side. We're in this together."

Asami gave a soft smile "One more thing I wish to be clear on. I mean no offense, but I'm the more knowledgeable person here, both in business and sex-wise. I make all the decisions about this when we arrive. That means you grant me legal rights to act on your behalf here. Is that all right with you?" Korra nodded slowly "Of course, I've always trusted you before Asami, I'm not about to stop now."

After that, it was simply a question of waiting for the response and departing for the address provided.

When they arrived, Ginger was waiting for them "Good morning ladies, I hate to be a poor host and cut to the point so quickly, but what is your decision?" Asami glanced at Korra for a second "We both agree to your solo acts and we intend to be each others partner. But I want to see your toys and machines before we agree to anything. Korra will wait here until then."


	5. Chapter 5

After about an hour of Korra fretting to herself in the sitting room, Ginger returned. "All right, everything's been arranged, come with me and Miss Sato will explain everything." She opened the door and walked Korra deeper inside the building and down a long flight of stairs to an ornately decorated door "This is our filming area. We had this basement constructed for this purpose." Ginger opened the door and walked inside still speaking "There are two bedrooms, some equipment storage rooms and a bathroom with showers should you need them."

Asami was already inside sitting on an oversized sofa off to one side of the room. There were a few other pieces of furniture scattered about in addition to a fairly large bed. A number of other women were in the room as well. Ginger noticed Korra's gaze "This is the filming crew, that's Rina over there." She gestured towards a willowy woman with light brown hair. "During the actual filming, she's in charge. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some arrangements to make, at Miss Sato's request."

Korra folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at Ginger's backside as she left, but said nothing. Turning she made her way to sit on the sofa next to Asami. "So what's the plan boss?" Asami gave her a soft smile "So I've made a few changes to how this will go. We both film one masturbation scene, that will be today. Ginger suggested, and I agreed, on a recovery period between each session." Korra broke in "A recovery period? What do we need that for?"

Rina answered that "We've found that our actors and actresses perform best when they have time to regain their stamina and... juices so to speak. It allows for better performances and gives a person's sexual desire to build back up. Ginger normally allots a week, but both of you are rather exceptional specimens."

Asami took Korra's hand in her's "So I'll be going first today, then you. The next session will be us fucking each other. You'll be on the machine after that." Korra squeezed her hands for a moment "All right, that works for me."

The dark haired woman smiled "Good girl." She chose that moment to stand pulling Korra up next to her. "You're allowed to stay in this room, but you have to remain silent. Why don't you go sit over there." Asami punctuated her order with a sudden slap to Korra's bottom. She jumped in surprise then hurried away towards the chair that Asami had indicated "Uhm ok."

Asami watched Korra walk away and sit down. Her hunch about the avatar had been correct. Her love was the world's strongest woman. At least in combat she was. But there would be time for that later. She turned her attention to Rina "Is everything ready?"

Rina nodded. "We can begin filming once you give us the go ahead." Asami had only known her a short time, but was impressed by the woman's professional demeanor. She seemed somewhat similar to Zhu Li. Asami had been toying with the idea of trying to lure her away, the woman could make an effective assistant, but Rina seemed to be comfortable where she was.

Asami glanced around at the furniture for a moment then pointed at a diwan sofa "Can we move this sofa over to there and turn it ninety degrees?" Rina glanced at the diwan and at the spot. "We can move it in that direction, but not quite that close. We don't want to pick up sounds from Korra or risk her being in any of the shots."

Asami paused thinking for a moment then walked up to Korra and lifted one of the avatar's hands up. She tugged off one of her armbands receiving a bemused and somewhat puzzled look from Korra. The look quickly turned to anger as Asami wadded the fabric up and stuffed it into her mouth. She made an angry sound and made as if to pull the garment out, but Asami stopped her with a stern look "Leave that in, it'll keep you quiet. And I'll have to do the same thing when it's your turn." Korra moved her hand away from the gag, and crossed her arms, her irritation clearly evident.

Asami turned away seeing the diwan had been rolled over to the spot she had asked for . "All right then, let's get started." She moved to stand next to it turning towards of the cameras. "Let me know when to begin." Rina nodded "Quiet on the set. Film rolling in three..." She went silent but used her hand to count down then pointed at Asami.

Asami remained still for a moment before she began swaying her hips as she started to dance. She didn't have much dance experience, but some of the combat moves she had used could easily be tweaked to look erotic. Piece by piece, her clothes started falling onto the floor. She snuck a sideways peek at Korra then turned to give the avatar a proper look of her bottom as she bent over sliding off her panties.

Korra felt a bead of sweat running down her forehead as she watched the nude woman lay down on the diwan. There was a camerawoman between them, but she wasn't blocking Korra's view in any way. Asami's hair was spilling down over her shoulders partially covering her breasts. Her skin was almost a perfect shade of ivory, though her face was slightly darker. The contrast between her jet black hair and pale skin was striking. _Could this woman be any more perfect?_ Korra asked herself. Then her legs spread just enough to give a glimpse of what was inside. _Yes, she can_. Korra glanced back up to Asami's face seeing a sly smile when their eyes made contact. This show was definitely more for Korra then anything else.

Asami took a deep breath as she began running her hands up and down her body. Her fingers glided up and down her legs, along her hips before ending on her breasts. Her first sigh, a quiet exhalation, came out as she began to squeeze her breasts alternating between pressing them together or pushing them upwards. Asami sighed again, louder then before as she pushed herself up onto the diwan's arm. Her right hand let go showing an erect nipple. She pushed it around with her thumb for a moment then slid the hand down onto one thigh.

Asami's eyes moved towards Korra again as she pulled her legs inwards so that the soles of her feet were on the couch and her knees pointing into the air. As her knees spread apart, the camerawoman moved forwards getting a closer look but blocking Korra from seeing. After another shot towards Asami's face, the woman stepped to one side giving the avatar her view back. It was the first time Korra had seen another woman's sex before. To her surprise, there wasn't any hair to be seen in Asami's loins. She must have shaved it off or removed it some other way.

By this point, Asami's crotch was starting to glisten. For that matter, Korra noticed that Asami's whole body had started to take on a light reddish hue. The sight was almost enough to tempt her out of the chair and onto the couch to join in. She checked her gag to make sure it was still in as a way to distract herself.

Asami smiled inwardly seeing the avatar's reaction to her legs spread. She started moving her hand again this time sliding it between her legs and spreading her lips apart. Positioning two of her fingers carefully, she started teasing her clitoris hood. The sensation was enough to draw out her first moan. It had been too long since she had gotten release, there simply hadn't been time with everything that had happened. She pulled slightly on her hood, exposing the clitoris.

She brought her left hand down gently brushing over it from side to side. Her moans grew in number and volume, her breathing was growing ragged and Asami's skin was fully flushed at this point. She released her hood, but left her hand in holding the lips open. She stole a glance at Korra, the Avatar had remained in the chair and kept her gag in. Asami glanced downwards seeing a small wet spot had appeared on Korra's breeches and smiled.

As Asami slid one finger inside herself, her loudest moan yet came out. Her arousal quickly grew into a tempest that needed to be quenched as the finger began to move in and out. Soon a second finger joined it as her fingers and knuckles grew slick from the juices that were flowing freely now. Her digits began to move faster, her sounds of passion grew even louder. As she crossed her threshold, her back arched off the couch and a long string of incoherent sounds came out. She dropped back onto the diwan, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.

After a few moments, she pushed herself to a sitting position. "I...I'm done now. What do you say to stop recording?" Rina waited for about ten seconds before speaking to the other operators "And that's a cut, check your reels to make sure there's enough space in between scenes for cutting."

As the other camerawomen began fiddling with their cameras, Asami made her way to Korra's leaning over her. She pulled the gag out with her left hand then raised her right hand to be in front of the Avatar's face. "Here, this is for you." Korra lifted an eyebrow "Uh, what's for me." Asami wiggled her fingers "What do you think? Take a taste."

Korra started to shake her head then stopped as she looked at Asami's face. After a moment of considering saying no anyways, she leaned forward tentatively licking at one finger. "Oh my god, that tastes..." Korra fell silent for a moment then reached up pulling the hand closer, Asami smiled softly as her fingers were licked clean. Korra's eyes dropped lower as she gazed towards Asami's glistening thighs and crotch but the other woman shook her head "You don't get that, not yet anyways." She gestured towards the nearest camera "First things first, it's your turn now."


	6. Chapter 6

Korra felt her mind go blank as Asami spoke, she thought she had prepared herself for this. But now that the moment was upon her, she felt an enormous mass of butterflies break free and start fluttering about in her stomach. Was she really going to do this? This was too soon, she wasn't ready, where was the door? Korra lurched to her feet, but her legs gave way and she would have fallen had Asami not caught her. "Are you all right Korra? Your face shouldn't be this pale." As her vision dimmed and went black, she could hear the other woman faintly "Korra?"

When Korra came to, she found herself lying on the bed. The room was empty except her and Asami. The other woman was sitting on a chair next to where the avatar was lying. "Ugh, what happened?"

She turned her head to the side looking at Asami. The woman was dressed and her hair looked to be somewhat damp. "How long was I out?"

Asami jumped as Korra spoke "Oh thank goodness you're all right, you gave us all a fright there. It looked like you had some kind of panic attack and passed out. It's been an hour or so, I was starting to worry you wouldn't wake up. People usually don't stay out that long unless something is wrong. Do we need to get you to a healer?"

Asami's words had come out in a rush, a look of concern on her face. Korra rubbed her eyes for a moment "N...No I don't think so, nothing hurts, I just got overwhelmed all of a sudden. Can I get something to drink?" Asami leaned down picking up a glass of water from the floor next to her. Korra giggled as she took it "You really do think of everything in advance don't you?"

Asami shook her head "If only that were so, I would have tried to help more if I knew this was going to be so hard on you." Korra took a drink frowning "You can't predict everything, I said I was ready and I thought I really was...tell me, what was it like, knowing so many people will be able to watch your sol...I mean, watch you masturbating?"

Sato surprised her with a soft smile "Honestly, it was kind of exhilarating and self-affirming in a way. Ginger could have approached anyone she wanted, but I was her first choice. And that was because I'm intelligent, strong, successful and a beautiful woman top of that."

Korra rubbed her chin considering "I guess that makes sense for you, but she only asked for me because I'm the Avatar. I'm hardly what you would call intelligent or attr-." "Stop it." Asami cut in sharply, a frown on her face. She stood grabbing one of Korra's hands "Come with me, I want to show you something."

Startled, Korra found herself partly walking, partly being dragged into the bathroom. Asami positioned her in front of a full length mirror. "Tell me Korra, what do you see?" Korra huffed slightly crossing her as she looked into the mirror. Her hair had gotten long enough to touch her shoulders, she had visited a barber to even everything out while staying at Asami's estate though. She was still the same overly muscled brute as ever though. Asami tsked when she said as much. "You've always been too critical of your appearance, you have muscles yes, but you're not some rocked shape brute of a bender from the earth kingdom. You're lean, fit and if I dare say so, your breasts are amazing."

Korra blushed as Asami pulled her shirt up exposing her chest. Korra started as she felt two hands come around caressing her bosom. Asami's lips found the side of her neck drawing out a soft aah from Korra. "You may not believe me yet, but you are a gorgeous woman. Even Prince Wu thought as much when he was still a buffoon." Korra laughed at that and turned around kissing Asami on the lips. "Well, I'm still not sure I agree, but you're right about one thing. I do have a great chest. Would you go get Rina and the others for me? I'm ready, though I don't know if I can possibly equal what you did earlier." Asami paused thinking for a moment "Do something different then, you might be able to use one of the shower heads in here if you wanted. I'll ask Rina about it and see what she says."

With that, Asami headed off and Korra found herself waiting for their return. Rina began speaking as soon as she entered. "Miss Sato informed me of your request, it's a little unusual but we've done it once before. You'll have to use that stall over there." She gestured as she spoke "And it'll take us a few minutes to waterproof the cameras. I'd suggest taking a look at the shower head so you know how to operate it while we do so."

As they began to set up, Korra pulled off her second armband handing it to Asami with a smirk on her face. "I believe you promised me you'd gag yourself earlier." The other woman smiled back "As you wish" before neatly folding it up and placing it between her teeth. She stepped into the stall looking at the setup. The shower head itself could be detached from the pipe and could easily be extended to rest on the tiled floor beneath. Korra dragged one foot across the tiles to see if they were slippery but the traction was pretty good. She pointed the head at the wall as she turned it on to check the different settings and set the water temperature.

As she did so, Rina and the others went about placing covers on the cameras, covering everything but what Asami had once told her was called the lens. Once they finished, Rina spoke up again "We're ready whenever you are miss Korra."

"Uh, count me down like you did with Asami." Rina's countdown was identical to the one from earlier. Once the switch was flipped, Korra saw a red light appear, that meant it was filming she guessed. Korra had considered doing a dance like Asami had, but had decided against it. She did take her time undressing however. After her clothes had come off, she turned towards the nearest camera, squeezing her breasts together between her forearms for a moment.

Stepping into the stall, she turned the water on letting it pour down on her and turning about until she was completely wet from head to toe. She reached up pulling the head out and down to her chest level. Korra turned so that she faced outwards through the open door towards the cameras.

With one hand, she started massaging one breast as she angled the spray towards the top of the mound. The sensation of the water hitting her combined with her hand was enough to draw a soft gasp from her lips. She used her thumb to twist the head's dial making the water come in pulses instead of a constant stream. After a minute, she passed the shower head between her hands and turned her attention to her other breast. This time though, she focused on the nipple, gently pulling and rubbing it between two fingers.

Deciding to move one, she slid her free hand down between her legs, gently rubbing away while the head alternated between breasts. Korra's moans began to rise in volume as she played with her sex. After another moment, she spread her legs apart to make some room. Lowering the head, she adjusted the angle so that it was directly aimed at her crotch's center.

When the first pulse hit, Korra let out a soft cry of pleasure and surprise. She almost stumbled then, but turned to one side and braced herself against the wall with one hand. Her vocalizations came regularly now, almost matching the pace of the water striking her nether region. As her arousal grew, her body began shaking from the orgasms As it went on, she moved the shower head closer to her crotch. After another moment, she threw her head back letting out her loudest shriek. Her legs gave way and Korra slumped to the ground a satisfied smile on her face.

Rina called out the scene's end to the other operators. As they began removing their equipment, Asami held out a bar of soap to Korra. "Good thing you're already in the shower, we can head back to the airship once you're done. I want to make sure that you're all right after what happened earlier." Korra took the bar and tried to stand, but her legs quivered underneath her and she slipped back down to the floor. "Well great, looks like you'll have to help me with cleaning up." Asami laughed and began removing her clothes "If you insist Avatar Korra."


	7. Chapter 7

Korra sighed contentedly, her head resting on Asami's shoulder. Her legs still hadn't quite recovered yet so the other woman kept her arms wrapped tightly about the avatar's waist. They had already cleaned themselves off, but neither really wanted to leave. Korra started slid her hands up towards Asami chest sparking a giggle "Oh don't start that again, you're just going to have to wait a few days." Korra grumbled in protest but returned her hands to Asami's lower back anyways.

"So Korra, how are you feeling about this now?" Korra turned her head to the side looking up at Asami's face "It was wonderful, I didn't realize how badly I needed to blow off some steam. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't invited me." She pulled Asami's face down kissing her softly "So thank you, now let's get out of here. My legs are back."

Asami watched Korra pull her clothes back on with a somewhat wistful look as her curves disappeared. "I hate to leave you in the lurch, but I've already made plans for the next two days. Do you think you'll be fine on your own until the next session?" Korra shrugged "I think there's enough to see and do in the city, though I'll need some money I think." Asami reached into a pocket "I figured as much, the Fire Nation government accepts yuan's, but you'd be better off using local currency around town. Ginger was kind enough to have some money changed." She pulled out a pouch and tossed it to Korra. The Avatar shook it slightly then looked inside at all the gold and silver rectangles "How much money did you give me? I can't possibly take this."

Asami laughed "Don't you remember, I'm one of the wealthiest people in Republic City. That's nothing to me. Besides, what's mine is yours now." Korra slid the pouch into one of her pockets before giving Asami a hug "You have fun with...whatever you're doing. I won't ask now, but you'll have to fill in me at some point."

Korra turned heading out of the building and into the streets. She was still in the caldera, but decided to head into the harbor area of the city. You got a better sense of what a nation was like in the lower classes. She glanced down at what she was wearing. Asami had provided her some clothes that she had picked up from somewhere in the city. Where did she find the time to pull all this off. That and it fit much better then Korra had expected. Did Asami measure her while she was sleeping?

First order of business was to find somewhere to eat though. It took her some time but she found a cart pulled by an ostrich-horse. There were a few cabs here and then, but she didn't feel like riding in a satomobile. The further she got away from the royal palace, the more unfamiliar things felt. Republic City felt more modern, a giant collection of steel, glass and metal. The southern water tribe was mostly small buildings of wood and leather amidst the tundra.

This city and buildings somewhat reminded her of the slums of Ba Sing Se, but those had been overrun by masses of people, garbage and a stench that hung over everything. Here, the streets were clean and the people seemed content. Mostly the town felt ancient as though it had stood for hundreds of years unchanging. This must have been what the world was like in Avatar Aang's day, before Industrialization. She did love Republic City, but knowing places like this still existed appealed to a part of her.

Korra saw a hanging sign on one side. It appeared to have been carved in the shape of the great sea serpents that used to roam the ocean. Hanging beneath the snake was the restaurants name "The Last Serpent." Korra paused for a moment to take in the smell before deciding to give it a try. The inside looked clean enough at a quick glance.

She took a seat in one of the empty corner tables, she didn't think anyone would recognize her, but one never knew. She was here on vacation and didn't want to get dragged into anything. A portly waiter approached her without any kind of menu "What can I get you miss?" Korra blinked, how was she supposed to know what to order. "Uhm, surprise me? Chef's choice?" She tried to smile as she said it, but the man's indifference only seem to increase as he lifted an eyebrow "If you say so." He turned walking off towards the kitchen.

Korra glanced around at the place, a little under half of the tables were taken and most of those by a single person. She figured it must get busier later in the day or this simply wasn't a popular place. After a few minutes, the waiter returned "Komodo chicken, noodles and spiced tea. That'll be ten silver." Korra fished out the money pouch Asami had given her and pulled out some of the silver pieces. The waiter counted them to be sure and bit one between his teeth. He waited as though expecting something extra before waddling off with a sour look on his face.

As Korra was eating, she noticed some men wearing long cloaks with hooded faces entering one or two at a time. A few of them had a gait struck her as being overly stiff. When one of them sat down, his coat flapped open for a second showing a sword underneath. She frowned, considering the possibilities, armed thieves maybe, or perhaps someone had recognized her and sent armed men after her.

Another figure entered, Korra gave them a brief glance. They were dressed like the others, but her instinct was to dismiss them for some reason. One of the men already stood up looking straight at her as his hand slipped to one side beneath his cloak. Korra slid her hands underneath the table as he came closer. In the background, the portly waiter disappeared into the kitchen.

A sword came out, narrow at the hilt, but widening to a curved point. The others drew a variety of weapons, more swords, a pair of daggers, an hammer, one even had a short spear. All metal weapons, Korra considered it but decided against metal bending unless she had too. She had to pretend to make this a fair fight at least.

As they charged, she flipped the table and kicked it forward with a blast of air. One man crashed to the ground from its impact, the others threw themselves to the side. Korra threw out two more air blasts as she moved away from the corner. She took another attacker down with a chair when some bursts of flame shot by dropping two more. The last remaining assailant turned to flee out the door dropping his sword behind him. She grabbed the sword with her bending reforming it into a half circle and flung it forward, closing the circle into a band around his ankles.

Korra turned towards the firebender who had intervened. He was kneeling beside the trapped figure pulling the hood to get a look at the face. "Hello Lee, I have to admit I'm somewhat disappointed, you should have known better then to try this." He stood up throwing his hood back. "General Iroh?"

"I have some troops on the way, but I came on my own. Though it doesn't look like you needed my help after all. I was hoping to trap more people then this, but Lee is a fine catch." Korra frowned, her confusion evident. Iroh chuckled slightly "Sorry, these are Red Lotus members, we've been trying to hunt them down these last few years. Though now that hunt may be over, we believe Lee was the leader of the local cell, he went into hiding after Zaheer's defeat. Once I got word you had arrived, I knew he wouldn't be able to resist striking, my only concern was not being able to arrive in time. The question is how he found out, did you tell anyone you were coming or that you were here?"

Korra shrugged "I didn't, though you may want to ask Asami about that. It was a spur of the moment decision for me." The general nodded, hand on his chin "Perhaps the docking operators then...Ah please forgive my manners. It's a pleasure to welcome you to the Capital City Avatar Korra. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Korra glanced at the spilled plate of food "Well, I was trying to eat some lunch, but I think I'll have to manage with what we have on our airship now." Iroh laughed "Your first trip to the Fire Nation and you're going to eat airship food? Why don't you have dinner with me tonight? I can take you to the finest restaurant in the city, it's strictly formal wear though so you'll have to wear a dress or your usual ceremonial garb."

Korra smiled "That sounds nice, the outfit isn't a problem. Though I don't know my way around the city, I'd need directions." The general waved his hand dismissively "I'll pick you up tonight, and one of my troops will be able to take you back to your airship for now."

Korra stared at the clothes in her dresser. The clothes she typically wore were off to one side, but there were multiple outfits, dresses and pieces of lingerie that hadn't been there this morning. Some of the dresses were nice, a few were a bit low for her preference but nothing scandalous, but the rest weren't something Korra would ever wear in public. As for the lingerie, some of it seemed functional enough to wear if it could hidden, but the rest of them showed more then they concealed. She was flushing just looking at them.

She had plenty of time to kill until her dinner with Iroh, it couldn't hurt to try a few of these dresses on. She picked out a red dress that reminded her of what Asami had worn to Varrick's wedding. It didn't take long for her to strip to her underwear and pull the dress on. She gave it a few tugs to settle properly on her curves and looked into the mirror. The dress had a hole in the middle of it that showed part of her breasts, but just the inner swell. It also opened on one side partway down her thigh. And it fit almost perfectly, it was a little tight around the waist, but a tailor could probably fix that.

Removing the dress, she placed it back in the closet then picked out one of the lingerie pieces. Korra held it up looking it over and frowned. The crotch fabric was missing? Why would Asami buy her ruined underwear? She fingered an edge of the hole then went bright red feeling a sewn hem. It was made like that on purpose. Well, now she knew what that piece was for. Korra wondered if Asami had an identical pair of her own. She saw that ceremonial water tribe outfit was still in there as she replaced the lingerie, but she could leave that for state functions and other important meetings. Truth be told, she had never liked wearing it that much.

She pulled out a black dress holding it up in front of her. The neckline plunged down to just a few inches above her belly button. The sides were open with two medium straps going over her shoulders. The skirt was shorter then the first one stopping short of her knees. Korra slipped it on fussing for a moment to settle and glanced in the mirror. The bodice of the dress was somewhat loose and seemed like it would come off on its own, she'd save that one for private occasions. She glanced at a few of the other dresses, but nothing caught her eye. _I guess it's the red dress for tonight. I wonder if anyone would even recognize me wearing something like this._

Korra opened the window shades glancing outside at the sun to see what time it was. There was a clock on the wall, but the time was wrong. Asami had once tried to explain that to her, something about rotations of the earth as you headed east and west. At least she could rely on the sun to be accurate.

There had to be something to do in the meantime. Rummaging about, she found a Pai Sho board and some pieces. People played this against themselves at times didn't they?


	8. Chapter 8

Sometime after the sun set, she had changed into the red dress. There were some shoes in the closet as well, most of them were too hard for her to walk comfortably in, but one pair had a short enough heel for her to move about at least. She'd have to kick them off if she got attacked again though.

She was waiting near the boarding platform to the airship waiting for Iroh to arrive. It wasn't long until a satomobile drove up and she could see Iroh getting out of the rear. The general appeared to be wearing his ceremonial uniform. The microphone near her crackled as he pressed a button on the intercom down below "Are you there Avatar?" She picked it up "I see, I'll just be a moment." As she made her way down to where Iroh stood, she could see him straighten and brush at his shoulder. "I..uh...I don't think I've ever seen you wearing an actual dress before."

Korra lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head forward "Well, you did say formal wear, I could always go change into something else." Iroh held his hands up in front of him "I didn't mean that, you look stunning. It's a nice change of pace from the Avatar whose always ready to run off and save the world at a moment's notice."

Korra smiled "Well, the world's certainly needed a lot of saving up in the past. Now I get to relax for a change." The general opened the vehicle's door for her holding out his hand "Shall we get going?"

After they both were seating, the satomobile took off. "So where are we going exactly?" Iroh had been looking out the window "A place known as the Forgotten Dragon. Lord Zuko ordered it's construction after his Uncle departed for the Spirit World. It was originally a tea shop, but grew over the years with Zuko as it's chief patron."

Korra nodded "You know, I actually met Iroh in the spirit world once. This was when Unalaq was trying to release Vaatu. If it hadn't been for Iroh's help, I would have been lost and everything would have been destroyed."

"I've heard a lot of stories about my namesake from my grandfather. If half of what he said was true, then it's a shame Iroh never took the throne, he would have made a much better leader then Ozai. I hope to meet him someday." Korra nodded slightly at that "Well, there's three spirit portals now, you can go through any one you want."

Iroh's face was thoughtful for a moment before he started to respond then halted. "Well, looks like we're here, hold onto that thought until we're seated." Once again Iroh got out and opened the door for her. She didn't need someone to hold her hand while standing up, but took it anyways. It was nice to be doted on a bit for a change. Korra took the general's arm when he proffered it, the man was chivalrous enough. More men could do to follow his example she mused.

As they entered the restaurant, the receptionist looked up "Welcome to the Forgotten Dragon, may I get your reservation name?" Iroh grimaced slightly "I'm sorry, but we don't have one. I'm General Iroh of the United Republic Army and this is Avatar Korra."

The woman didn't seem affected by Iroh's posturing until he introduced his companion. Her eyes widened and she looked at Korra in shock. "I...excuse me. I'll be back in just a moment, please wait here." She rushed off as quickly as she could while still looking dignified flagging down a waiter. They could see her gesturing animatedly and shooing the man off.

Iroh chuckled softly "I've had a hard time getting a table in this place before, that woman is notorious for standing her ground on reservations. She even had the gall to turn my mother away once for being a few minutes late. It's nice to finally see someone getting the better of her."

Korra gave a small smile to that "Well, I guess there are some perks of being the Avatar after all. We've discovered another one today, intimidating restaurant hosts." Iroh laughed "I think she would be afraid of you even if you weren't the Avatar." Korra stepped away from Iroh as she folded her arms "Oh and why is that? Because I'm scary looking?"

Iroh shook his head vigorous "I'm not trying to insult you here. I'm saying you're a rare package. You don't run into beautiful women who as formidable and accomplished as you are very often, if ever. You're one of a kind, Avatar or not."

Korra's cheeks colored and she remained silent as the host came back with a trailing waiter "I'm sorry for the delay, but we have a table set up for you now. If you'll follow my assistant Kwan, she'll show you to your table." Korra silently took Iroh's arm as they followed Kwan through the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see some eyes turn and faintly heard the words 'Avatar' or 'Korra' a few times.

The table they had been given was on a private balcony overlooking the city. Iroh had glanced about "It looks like they gave us the best seats in the place. I've never sat here before, not even with the current Firelord and her father in attendance. Are you all right? You look uneasy."

Korra shook her head slightly "I'm not used to this sort of thing. Showing up at a restaurant like this, using my status to bully someone into giving me something I want. And everyone was staring at me down there."

Iroh nodded "You're hardly bullying anyone, we showed up and asked for a table. And they gave us one, in fact, take a look at it. It's completely dry, I doubt anyone's used it all day. That host likes to feel in charge. If you took her down a peg, you're doing all of her patrons a favor. And people were staring at you for two reasons. One, you're the Avatar, we haven't had a visit from you or Avatar Aang in decades. This is a rare event, people are surprised to see you here. I didn't even know you were here until late last night and I'm a general. The other reason is because you look amazing in that dress, the men were looking to see your leg sticking out and the women were either jealous or envious."

Korra giggled "And do you think anyone was looking in your direction?" Iroh shrugged dismissively "If they were looking at me, it's only because I'm here with you and wishing they could take my spot."

Korra shook her head slightly as he continued "Now where were we in the car? Ah yes, the spirit portal. I've heard rumors, but what exactly happened at the Spirit Wilds in Republic City?"

Korra shifted "Well, we had cut our way into the giant robot. Bolin and Mako destroyed the power supply, Lin and Suyin had disabled the cannon. Kuvira tore it off and threw it into the Wilds. I beat her that time and asked her to surrender. Instead she fled and tried to fire the weapon at me. There was so much spirit energy around that it spiraled out of control and would have hit her. I remember jumping in the way and blocking the blast somehow. I don't understand what caused it, maybe that much spirit energy being thrown around tore a hole in something?"

Iroh remained silent for a moment "I can't imagine anyone being strong enough to do that. I mean, I saw that weapon firing on the city and you stopped it even though it was in the Spirit Wilds?" He shook his head in disbelief "I don't think I'll ever be able to fully grasp that particular feat, though I do fear you've stunned our waiter into disbelief."

Korra glanced to her right. She didn't know how long the woman had been there, but she had heard enough that the story would spread. She grimaced slightly, hopefully that would wait until after they had something to eat.


	9. Chapter 9

Iroh turned to glance "We'll both have the komodo rhino sausage special with some ginseng tea." His order sparked the waitress out of her surprise "Of course, I'll get right on it sir." Korra watched her scurry off "What's with her exactly? It's not like she really knows what that robot or it's super weapon was like."

The general shrugged "Actually she probably does. After Raiko ordered me to stand down, a Fire Nation camera crew recorded some of the robot's attacks. The footage was actually circulated widely around the Fire Nation."

Korra bristled at that "So instead of Izumi sending her forces to help us fight the Earth Empire, she sent a camera crew? A lot of people could have been killed or imprisoned by Kuvira. Great decision making by the Fire Lord."

Iroh stiffened looking offended "That's not a fair thing to say. I thought you had a better grasp of politics then that. Izumi has to tread very lightly with how she deploys her army, particularly in the Earth Kingdom. Relations there have been volatile ever since the last approach of Sozin's comet. If Izumi had sent her forces in, Kuvira would simply have used it as political ammunition."

Korra flinched as Iroh chided her "You're right, I've never really thought about it like that. I've always preferred to attack things head on. I shouldn't have said that about Izumi." The general smiled "Don't worry about it, I've always admired your directness and I like to think that I have a similar approach. And let's change the subject. What brings you to the Fire Nation?"

She started to answer but hesitated as their food was brought out and set down. "Well, Izumi sent an invitation to Asami mentioning some kind of business and she asked me to come along. Constructing a set of railways and some other stuff they didn't get into." Iroh rubbed his chin "Ah yes, that's something Izumi has been after for a while, did she mention the issue with the volcanoes?"

Korra blinked in surprise "Volcanoes, like active eruptions? "Yes, there's some other issues according to the engineers, but dealing with the lava flows is the real problem. I don't envy the challenge, but I'm sure someone of Miss Sato's ability will find a solution. So Asami is here for that, and you're what, on vacation?"

The avatar paused to take a few more bites and drink some of the tea. She didn't want to really get into what she had been doing since she arrived. "Well, I've never visited the Fire Nation before and I figured it was past time I did so. What about you? I didn't think hunting Red Lotus members is something a United Republic General would concern himself with." "That's true, but I've been taking some leave-" "You're hunting terrorist members while on leave? And I thought I had a hard time relaxing."

Iroh laughed "I suppose I deserve that. But that's over with now, how's your food?" Korra glanced down "It's spicier then what I'm used to, but it is excellent. What did you say this was again?" "Komodo rhino sausage, it's something of a delicacy, komodo rhinos were used in combat during Avatar Aang's time."

"So what are you planning to do after your leave is up? Return to Republic City? Go back to the navy?"

Iroh shook his head "I'm not sure, I've been considering retiring, get married, settle down, that sort of thing."

Korra lifted an eyebrow in response "Well, I'm not sure I'll be much help when it comes to that sort of thing. What would you do, you don't seem the type to sit back and let the world pass by." Iroh shrugged "Don't know, travel the world, find a new hobby. I'm just thinking out loud right now. I'm finished eating, how about you?" Korra looked down at her empty plate "Well, shall we go then?"

After dropping her off at the airship, Iroh kissed her hand "Thank you for a lovely evening Korra, we should do this again sometime." She smiled "It's surprising how different things can be when there isn't an emergency or looming threat." With that, she headed back onto the airship. Iroh didn't leave until she disappeared from view then got back in the satomobile heading off.

"Was that general Iroh Korra?" She turned to see Asami looking at her amused "So, the red dress huh? And here was I was hoping I'd be the one you broke it in with." Korra's cheeks colored, embarrassed "It was just dinner, Iroh said it was a formal wear restaurant so I figured this would work. There wasn't anything to it other then that."

Asami laughed "It's all right, I know you wouldn't do anything like that to me. You do realize he's interested in you right?" Korra's face got even redder "What do you mean he's interested in me? We're friends, nothing more."

Asami leaned back in her chair "That might be true on your end, but what kind of things did he say tonight? Compliments, flattery, any kind of innuendo? What did you eat?" Korra seated herself across the table from the other woman "He did say I looked beautiful or stunning a few times. He mentioned …. retiring and getting married. And I ate … some kind of sausage dish." She buried her face in her hands "I'm such an idiot, it's so obvious now that you point it out, but it completely went over my head."

Asami rose from her chair and made her way over to kneel by Korra grasping her hands "It's all right really. All this means is that you have more to learn. And to be honest, I'm a little proud. A man like Iroh would be a fine catch for just about any other woman and he's interested in you. That speaks well to who you are as a person. Come on, let's go to bed."

Lying in bed, Korra felt herself relaxing as Asami's arms slid about her waist again. Iroh was interested in her. The thought had never occurred to her, all of their previous meetings were in the middle of a war. She had always been focused on the upcoming battles at the time. It seemed his attention had been more divided then she realized. "So, what should I do Asami? Tell him about us, say I'm not interested, ignore it?" Asami shifted before giving a sleepy response "I'll figure something out, but not tonight. Go to sleep Korra."

By the time Korra woke up the next morning, Asami was already gone. There was a note on the dresser. She picked it up _'I'll handle General Iroh so don't worry about that. Some of the local firebending masters asked me if you would visit their school today. I believe they wanted to test some of their students against you. One of the students will be waiting for you outside. I'll see you this evening. -Asami_'

Korra glanced out the window to see what time it was. After the previous night, she didn't feel like eating any kind of meat so she simply ate some noodles. Upon leaving the airship, she saw a skinny lad standing about "Avatar Korra?" "That's me, are you the student from the firebending school?" He nodded and started moving with the occasional glance over his shoulder to make sure she was still with him.

The academy was pretty spartan both in design and appearance. A large open square surrounded by some unusually high walls. She noticed scorch marks at random spots on the wall, that explained the height. Something seemed off to her for a moment before she realized there wasn't any kind of wooden objects, plants or anything that could burn in sight. Just stone and people.

An elderly man approached her bowing as he placed a fist into the other hand's palm "Greetings Avatar Korra, I am Luzon the master here. It is an honor to welcome you to the Iba Academy. This school was founded by Jeong Jeong after the end of the hundred year war."

Korra returned the gesture "Thank you for having me. Jeong Jeong was one of Avatar Aang's teachers for a time wasn't he?" Luzon grunted amused "He was, though it did not go well for the two of them. You'll find Jeong Jeong's teachings were more successful here. I've heard rumors you can bend metal, like the people living in the city of Zaofu. There are also tales of some earthbenders being able to bend lava as well, though I don't believe it."

Korra stuck her hands behind her back "I can bend metal yes, but there are limits to it. Platinum for instance can't be bent by anyone, not even Toph Beifong. And the tales of lavabenders are true, though there's only one, maybe two people in the world who can do it. My friend Bolin is one, and I believe I may have seen Toph doing it as well."

Luzon laughed "The ironies of this world, The Fire Nation lives in a land of volcanoes that can defeat the likes of Avatar Roku. And yet it is the Earthbenders who have the ability to master them. It makes me wonder if we truly should be living apart." He shook his head abruptly "Forgive me, you didn't come here to listen to me ramble. Ifuago! Where are you?"

A tall figure broke away from some of the nearby students "Yes Master Luzon?" "The Avatar is here, I leave her in your hands. You know what I expect to be seeing." Ifuago bowed "As you will it." Ifuago turned towards her, he was fairly stocky for his height towering over Korra by half a foot or so. "You know, you're shorter then I expected." He grinned "But we'll see what you can do, it's said you bend metal. We've never had the chance to spar against anyone capable of it."

Korra lifted an eyebrow, she wasn't that short. "Yes I'm a metalbender, though I hope you brought some for me to use." Ifuago pointed towards a wicker basket set nearby "It's mostly scrap, but I think it should suffice for this." Korra headed over taking the top off and looking inside. She levitated a few pieces out contorting and twisting them to test their malleability. "These will work fine, so how many people am I sparring today?"

"We have ten of our top students that Master Luzon granted permission for this. Each round lasts five minutes or until someone loses control of their footing. That typically means falling to one's knees or losing all points of contact with the ground."

Korra nodded "Seems simple enough. Whose first?" The first student stepped forward looking somewhat nervous but eager enough. The first few rounds were a little shaky for her, she wasn't familiar with this particular style of firebending. Most of the firebenders she had trained against before preferred to plant themselves before they threw their attacks. These were much more agile, never fixing themselves to the ground, instead always throwing their attacks as they moved.

She still was able to work her way through them, the last two pushed her into the final minute. Then, her last opponent, Ifuago was up. She eyed him for a moment _'I'm not that short.' _before attacking first. Her best strategy thus far had been to use a thinned out sheet to deflect their attack then weave it into a kind of net and countering towards their legs. Her first attempt was easily dodged as he simply spun over it throwing a vertical flame strike. Korra spun to the side sending two half circles forward looking to catch either one of his arms.

The firebender was far quicker then she had expected as he dropped to the ground in a vertical pushup position. She anticipated his next attack, a horizontal flame kick as he pivoted on his hands. She snared one wrist and leapt over the flame easily enough. Pinning his hand to the ground and trapping him in place was easy enough after that.

Ifuago's face contorted angrily as he moved his free hand in a pattern she vaguely recognized seeing Mako do. _Oh no_. The burst of lightning came before she had time to dodge. The impact drove Korra down to her knees Every nerve in her body came alive at once, and her hair sprayed outwards from the charge. Without thinking about it, she flung one hand upwards to the sky. There was a rumbling sound then silence.

After a moment, she heard Luzon shouting and the sound of someone getting hit "You disgrace our school with such behavior. How dare you behave like this towards a guest, the Avatar no less." Korra staggered back to her feet "Wait, stop hitting him."

She heard footsteps "Are you all right Avatar Korra? I apologize for my student's behavior, he'll be living on the streets after this." She shook her head "Ifuago's never lost to anyone before has he? It's a hard thing to accept defeat for the first time, but even I've lost battles. What matters is how he behaves after today. And the fault is partly mine as well, I've never faced a lightning bender before."

Luzon remained silent for a long moment "It shall be as you say Avatar. There is wisdom in your words that even an old man like me can forget. Do you need a doctor?" Korra shook her head standing up "No, I'm a little rattled, but I'll be fine. Though I will need someone to guide me back to my airship. I still don't know my way around this city."


	10. Chapter 10

The same student who had met her earlier was guiding her back to the airship. "Do you mind if I ask you a question miss Avatar?" Korra glanced down "No, I don't mind, and you can call me Korra."

"Have you ever redirected lightning before? You said something about not fighting a lightning bender before."

She shook her head "That was my first time doing that. I have a friend who can bend lightning though. I might have to spend some time practicing with him when I return to Republic City." The kid looked sufficiently awed by that and didn't say anything the rest of the way. Korra looked up at the sun, it only had been a couple of hours. Well, she could wander the city and risk running into more Red Lotus members or play Pai Sho until Asami returned.

When Asami made her way back onto the ship that, she found Korra lying on her back and staring at the roof. "Do you remember that time when we were staking out Aiwei and Bolin said I should come up with a universal ruleset for Pai Sho?" Asami put one hand over her mouth stifling a giggle "Is that what you did all day? Think about Pai Sho rules? What about the firebending school?"

"It was fine, until one of them got angry and threw some lightning at me. He didn't take losing the sparring round very well." Asami dropped one of her bags rushing over "Are you all right? Any burns? I can call a doctor if you need it." Korra reached up pulling sato down on top of her. "I'm fine, still a bit angry, but it's nothing to worry about. The master was going to throw him out onto the streets, but I talked him down." Asami lifted an eyebrow "Is this your new policy? Forgive everyone who tries to hurt you?"

Korra shrugged "Losing can be hard, I've been there before. And I don't see the point in holding onto grudges. Too much of that and I could end up like how Lin used to be. Now come on, let's go to bed, tomorrow's a very big day for both of us."

Asami was awake before Korra again. As the avatar sat up stretching her arms, she turned. "I already made you some breakfast and laid out your outfit for today." Korra grumbled "How are you always so chipper in the morning? You're always up before me too." Asami laughed "Force of habit, now hop to it. It's an important day for us."

Korra looked at the clothes laid out for her. It was her typical blue shirt and pants. She looked for some underwear not finding any and glanced at Asami questioningly. "That's all you get today, and don't look at me like that. I'm not wearing any either. I'll be waiting in the common room." It didn't take long for her to change. She glanced at the food "Where did you get this? It doesn't look like the rations we carry." Asami smiled "I scheduled it to be delivered this morning, I figure we should start the day off with something better."

Korra picked the box up and started eating some of the komodo chicken. Her stomach rumbled for a moment as she finished "Uh excuse me, I'll be back in a minute." With that she darted off for the bathroom.

Asami waited for Korra to come out "Are you all right? We can wait until later if you need." The avatar shook her head "No I'm fine, that didn't last very long. Let's get going." Asami gave her a smile full of promise "After you."

Korra felt some butterflies in her stomach as they made their way to Ginger's building, but she was more excited then anything. She glanced at Asami a few times and could see a similar look in her eyes as well. The walk felt like it went by much quicker then the previous visit. And then they were there, kneeling on the bed next to each other. Rina and her team were setting up the cameras. "Are you ready for this Korra?" She nodded looking a bit anxious. Asami gave her a reassuring smile as Rina called out the countdown.

They turned towards Rina who was reading off a piece of paper "Would you like to introduce yourselves?" "I'm Asami Sato of Republic City. I'm Avatar Korra." "Do you have anything you'd like to tell us?" Asami answered "We'd like to take this opportunity to say that the two of us are in love and that no one should be ashamed of their sexuality."

After that, Asami leaned over grabbing Korra by the shoulders and pulling their bodies together. Their lips came together in the first of several long kisses. Korra's mouth opened letting Asami's tongue in. Meanwhile her hands slid down the avatar's back and onto her bottom, alternating between squeezing the cheeks and caressing the curves. Korra broke away from Asami's lips exhaling before nipping at her neck. The black haired woman pulled her hands out taking hold of Korra's shirt. She pulled up roughly trapping Korra's arms next to her face as she pushed the avatar down onto the bed. Moving deliberately, she planted a knee on each of Korra and leaned forward.

Korra squirmed for a bit to loosen the shirt but went still as she felt hands caressing her bosom. The soft fingers spread themselves out gently prodding and squeezing. She let out a soft moan to encourage more ministrations. Asami obliged by using her thumbs to tweak the nipples on top of each generous mound. An involuntary 'aaah' broke from her mouth and she felt a shiver running down her spine.

Asami sat up for a moment as she removed her own shirt then pulled Korra's free and tossed them both aside. Korra took the opening to pull off her pants and reached towards Asami's breeches. Asami shook her head guiding the reaching hand inside and down to her sex. The brown haired woman sat up slightly, putting her free hand behind her for balance. Asami closed her eyes deeply inhaling and exhaling as Korra's fingers gently rubbed and teased the hidden folds.

Miss Sato opened her eyes after another minute as she reached down pulling Korra's hand out and placed it on the outside of her pants. She leaned to the side letting them be pulled off and thrown aside. She moved back to a kneeling position sliding both hands onto Korra's knees before pushing them outwards. She lowered her mouth towards the shining parts within. There was an audible gasp as her tongue came out gently lapping away. Asami felt both hands on her head pulling her face forward and downward ever so slightly.

Korra's sighs quickly turned into more and more frequent moans. Her fingers tightened themselves in Asami's hair as she felt herself drifting closer. She braced herself for it, but then she felt Sato pulling away. Confused, her fingers slackened and she looked at Asami whispering "Don't stop... please."

Asami gave her a somewhat predatory smile as she crawled forward "Not yet. It's my turn first." She stopped moving and sat up positioning her groin directly an inch over Korra's face. "If you'd please."

Eager to keep things going, she reached her hands around the outside of her legs grasping Asami's thighs.

She quickly put her tongue to work, doing her best to imitate what Asami had just been doing to her. Korra mixed in the occasional bite/kiss at her thighs. Based on the shivers each time, she guessed that Sato enjoyed those. After another couple of minutes of continued licks and bites, she felt the woman above her shudder and cry out.

Asami looked down with a smile then rolled away to sit on the edge of the bed. She looked back "Close your eyes my dear, this is a surprise for you." Korra shut her eyes while pulling her knees towards her chest. There was a moment of silence then she could feel the bed shaking as Asami made her way back over and pulled Korra's legs apart again. "Ok, open your eyes."

As Korra obliged, she didn't see anything different at first until she looked down at Sato's crotch and hips. A number of leather straps crossed and intersected each other on both hips and in the middle was a long slender rubber cylinder. She looked at it confused until she realized what it must be for. Korra's eyes widened as she looked back up at Asami's face. Both of them remained still until one of Korra's hands slid down to her crotch to hold it open spreading herself.

Sato crawled forward, that hungry smile back on her face. She whispered too softly for the cameras to hear "That's my girl." Asami lowered her face so that their foreheads were touching "This is it, I love you Korra." Korra reached up grabbing Asami's head with her free hand kissing her deeply "I love you too."

She positioned the strap-on's tip just right and slowly began to push it inside, a few millimeters at a time. Korra pressed her teeth together, making sure to keep her tongue out of the way Asami shook her head whispering once more "I can't hear you, let it out."

Korra responded with a low exhale. She could feel her interior muscles clenching around the strap-on as it began to press further inwards. Korra's breathing started to quicken as she dropped her head to the side, a loud moan coming out as she felt the strap-on move deeper and deeper. Korra took a deep breath bracing herself as Asami increased her speed pushing her hips forward until the toy was completely buried inside the Avatar.

It wasn't long until Korra felt it slide partway out then back in again. "Aaaah oh god. Faster." It didn't take long for Asami to speed up, their bodies smacking together on each thrust. Her cries continued as Korra's hips began to move upwards in harmony with Sato's downward thrusts.

Korra could feel the orgasm approaching and cried out again her voice breaking "H-h-h-h-Harder." As Asami obliged, she felt herself slip over the edge, her back arching for a few seconds. She felt the pumping stop as Asami pulled out letting the Avatar catch her breath, a smile on both their faces. Korra reached up pulling Sato down next to her and whispered softly "I guess it's my turn with this toy now?"

To her surprise Asami simply shook her head whispering back "Not exactly, roll over when you're ready, stay on your elbows and knees and keep facing forward matter what. And remember, I want to hear you." Korra lifted an eyebrow confused but waited a minute to catch her breath before doing as instructed.

She could hear Asami moving around behind her but resisted the temptation to look. After a few seconds though, she felt something wet plop down on her back. A single finger brushed through whatever it was. The next sensation was that same finger wiping whatever it was around her anus. She stiffened in surprise and started to move her head. As she started to do so, she felt a sharp smack on one butt cheek. _Keep facing forward._

She felt the wet liquid being further applied onto her butt-hole itself. After a second, she gasped as the finger, coated in what she decided must be a gel, slowly began to push itself in to the first knuckle. She whimpered slightly as it pulled out, but it wasn't long until it returned again. This action repeated itself a few times until the finger was buried all the way inside. It stayed there this time however and began to move about randomly. Sometimes it went up and down, or side to side. Slowly her whimpers began to disappear, being replaced by a single soft moan.

Asami was patient, preparing an inexperienced person for this took time, even someone as strong as Korra. When she heard the moan come out, she added a second finger and started again. After she started accepting three fingers, she could slide the strap-on in. In the meantime, she contented herself by playing with her left breast as she continued.

Korra couldn't believe this was happening or that she was accepting this so calmly. She had thought herself reasonably educated about sex, but clearly not, this was something entirely new to her. And she couldn't deny that it had started to feel good even if it had hurt at first. Both fingers withdrew gently rubbing around the rim, when they returned to insert themselves, she felt a third finger joining them in a rough triangular shape. They eased their way in slower then they had previously but without stopping.

Korra moaned again as the fingers started sliding out then back in. It didn't take long for her to feel another orgasm building up, but like earlier Asami stopped and pulled her fingers out. She started to grumble in protest as they withdrew, but stopped short as she felt the strap-on's lightly brush against her anus.

Asami crawled forward putting her mouth next to Korra's ear speaking in a sultry whisper "Do you want this?" "Yes. Do it." Asami giggled "Do what?" Korra turned to look Asami in the eyes pleading "Please." Asami licked her lips "You want me to fuck you?" Korra nodded. "Say it then."

She wished the woman would stop toying with her. "Fuck me Asami." Sato put a finger to her lips as if considering "Ok, where do you want me to fuck you?" "Fuck me in the ass" she whispered. "I didn't hear that, louder." Korra, visibly frustrated at being teased, yelled it out this time "Fuck me in the ass!"

Asami moved back to her previous position as Korra turned her face forwards again. She could see Rina raising an eyebrow behind the camera, but she was beyond caring now. She wanted, she needed the release and if Asami wanted to hear her, then she was going to. As she felt the strap-on position itself against her, she started to push back not interested in waiting anymore.

Sato was surprised as Korra began impaling herself so suddenly. She slid her hands into position taking a firm grip on the avatar's thighs and began thrusting her hips forward. Korra let out a loud cry at each thrust, the sound echoing around the room. Asami leaned slightly to the side looking down at Korra. Asami couldn't see her face very well, but her breasts were swinging forwards and backwards as the avatar continued to thrusting her hips against Asami.

Korra was lost in the moment, nothing existed except what was happening to her rear end. Rina, the cameras, the Fire Nation, and the rest of the world was all just white noise at that moment in time. It was just her, Asami and the strap-on connecting the two of them. She didn't know how long they had been at it, but her body was covered in sweat and her legs were beginning to burn. One final deep thrust pushed her over the edge, she let out a cry of ecstasy and fell to the bed, her muscles giving out under her. Asami was beside her in an instant taking the avatar in her arms. She covered Korra's face and neck in soft but deep kisses as the orgasm passed through Korra's body.

Korra gave Asami a satisfied smile as she heard Rina giving orders in the background. "I might need a cab, I'm not sure I'll be able to walk anywhere today after that, but let's rest here for a bit first." Asami smiled back "Take as long as you need, you earned it."


	11. Chapter 11

Korra was lying face down on the bed staring at the wall. It had been a half hour and she wasn't feeling any improvement "Am I supposed to be this sore afterwards? It feels like I spent too much time working out in a gym." She grimaced for a moment "Can you help me into the bathroom? I'll have to see if I can heal some of this." She rolled over and sat up swinging her legs off the bed.

Asami pulled Korra up to her feet while putting an arm across her back grabbing on top of her shoulder. Korra leaned into her as she began speaking with an apprehensive look on her face "I'm sorry if I hurt you, I might have gotten a little carried away there Korra." She simply shook her head "It's not your fault, half of it was my doing and a bit of pain is a small price to pay for how amazing that felt. We'll do it again in the future, but with a better idea of my limits."

Korra filled up the bathtub with water and gingerly eased her way in. Asami sat on the side watching the avatar's arm movements "I didn't know you could heal people Korra." She shrugged somewhat dismissively "It's not a talent I've used very much. I'm usually the one inflicting the injuries, but Katara taught me enough for basic first aid." Asami trailed her fingers through the water "Is that all she taught you or was that all you were interested in learning?"

Korra kept bending as she spoke, Asami thought she could see a glow near Korra's legs now. "Waterbending was the first element I learned. I did focus on the combat aspect and I was in a rush to get to the other elements. Katara did insist I learn some healing before moving onto earth though. I could have studied more, but I wasn't interested in it at the time."

As Korra finished bending, the glow from below disappeared. Korra gingerly stood up drying herself off. "It'll take another session or two before I'm back to normal, but I'll be fine walking now." It didn't take long for them to get dressed and head to the airship.

Korra sat back as she drank some of the tea "So what are you doing today? More secret trips while I'm here all alone and so bored that I start making up Pai Sho rules?" Asami lifted an eyebrow at the teasing smile then stood up making her way around the table "Now now, am I going to have to spank you for that?"

Korra giggled and started to run away laughing. She didn't get very far before getting caught and pinned to the ground. She tried to squirm her way free before wincing abruptly "All right all right you win, I surrender." Asami gave a soft smile "Good. I'm actually staying with the ship today. I'm expecting a number of deliveries, feel like keeping me company?" She paused before continuing "I do have to check them first, but you're not allowed to see what's inside. And I actually have something that I want you to work on today Korra."

The avatar shifted out from under Asami once given the chance. "All right, just so long as I have some time to keep healing myself. What is it" Asami reached inside her jacket pulling out a rubber dildo with a leather string attached to one end. She shifted it to her other hand before pulling out a small container. "I want you to work on inserting this into your mouth and the throat if you can manage that. This jar contains a lubricant that will help make it easier, I don't expect you to get very far in one day, so consider this an experiment to see what you're capable of."

Korra's eyes widened as Asami spoke. She blushed then stammered "W-What? Why?" Asami gave a soft laugh "This is for you, I wouldn't get any direct satisfaction from sticking a strap-on in your mouth, but it's something that you might enjoy. I'd be a poor teacher if I at least didn't give you the opportunity, you can say no if you want. It's up to you."

Korra remained silent for a few minutes, her gaze occasionally flickered between Asami's face and the dildo she was holding. Asami remained silent waiting to see what the avatar's response would be. Eventually Korra shifted her weight and broke the silence "You called yourself my teacher, what did you mean by that?"

"This isn't intended to be offensive, but you're inexperienced when it comes to sex. By your own account, you were a virgin before this morning. I may be overstepping my boundaries, but I've taken it on myself to act as a mentor for this particular part of your life. And I haven't heard you complain so far."

Korra idly picked at the carpet with her fingernails for a moment "You're right, I've enjoyed everything that's happened so far. Everything just feels like it's happening so fast since we came here. I've been conflicted about my feelings towards you for years. And in less then a week, we've masturbated in front of each other and slept together. While being recorded no less. I'm not saying no to this yet." She gestured at the dildo as she spoke. "But I want some more time to think about it."

Asami set the dildo and jar on Korra's lap "Take all the time you need, I'll support whatever decision you make. If you decide to try it, the string is a safety measure for you. And I'm willing to help if you need it." She tried to give Korra a reassuring smile, but it went unnoticed as she was staring at the ground again. Asami waited another minute for a response then stood up and headed elsewhere to give Korra space. Korra looked down the hall in the direction that Asami had gone for a moment. She picked up the items before heading into her quarters.

Asami made her way to the cargo bay. Lee, the ship's handyman, was already present and directing the loaders on where to set their crates. She leaned against the door she had come in through to stay out of the way. Lee say her watching "Good day Miss Sato, I can take care of this. Tis no bother to me."

She watched the last box being set down then shook her head "No, that'll be all right. These items are particularly sensitive, it wouldn't do for their contents to be disturbed. Remember that the security system will be turned on, if there's anything you need down here, let me know."

Lee simply nodded. Transporting mystery items was something he had grown accustomed to, technology prototypes, blueprints and such. "There's nothing I need from the hold Miss Sato, though I'm running a little short on money. Could you give me my next paycheck in advance?"

She gave a small smile at that pulling out some gold pieces from a money pouch she carried. "Don't worry about it, consider this a bonus. This trip has been fruitful so far, just remember to stay away from the card games." He shook his head vigorously "Don't worry about me Miss Sato, that won't happen again."

He took the money leaving in quick order. Asami watched him go before closing the loading hatch. She picked up a crowbar opening one of the boxes and checking the contents. Deciding to play things safe, she went through checking each of the others before nailing them all shut again.

Her thoughts turned towards Korra for a moment before she shook her head. It would be best to let her think this through on her own. She had to admit that Korra was right, Asami was moving too quickly. It would be better to slow down and see how the avatar adjusted.

Asami didn't see Korra again until the following morning. She was sitting at the table eating one of the generic rations from the kitchen. The avatar had moved quietly surprising Asami as Korra plopped herself down on her lap. "Good morning Miss Sato." Asami raised an eyebrow at the formal tone "Good morning Avatar Korra."

Korra fidgeted a bit as she adjusted her position "So I thought about our conversation yesterday. You were right, you are my teacher when it comes to sex. But I'm not just your pupil, I'm your partner as well. I don't mind letting you lead the way, but when you want me to try something, bring it up first and let me consider it instead of trying to boss me around."

Asami nodded "That's fair. Anything else you want to say?" Korra pulled out the dildo "Yes actually, it's about this, I don't get anything out of a dildo in my mouth, but I figured I'd try it out anyways." Asami laughed "How far did you get with it then?"

Korra spent a moment lubricating the dildo before sliding it into her mouth. Asami watched curious as it went deeper. It was about halfway down before Korra gagged and pulled it out. "Ok, I see where you're going wrong. Do you want me to help you?" The avatar nodded before sliding the dildo back in.

Asami reached up putting her hands on Korra's chin gently pushing "Tilt your head to this angle here. Remember to breath through your nose." Korra made a small sound as it went deeper. "Now the next thing is to just hold it here for a bit. Too much too quickly sets off the gag reflex. A lot of small steps will help you more then one large motion. The main thing is practice, I'd be shocked if you could do this in a single day. I'm impressed you got as far as you did this quickly. Though if you don't get anything out of it, why are you doing it?"

Korra pulled the dildo out "You called me inexperienced, I thought I'd prove you wrong and I will."

Asami giggled "Inexperienced means you're new, not that you're incapable. You've shown promise so far." Korra stiffened and started to retort, but Asami interrupted by pressing their mouths together. Korra remained rigid for a moment before relaxing into Asami's arms.


	12. Chapter 12

Korra reluctantly broke free from the kiss after a moment. She dropped her head onto Asami's shoulder "Can we do something together today? That isn't sex? Since we got here, you've been off on your secret trips doing...whatever. I came here for a vacation, instead I sit around playing Pai Sho with myself. Or people are throwing lightning at me and Red Lotus members try to kill me."

Asami started "You got attacked by the Red Lotus? When was this, why didn't you say anything?" Korra shrugged "It was the same day I had dinner with General Iroh. He said that they had gone underground after we stopped Zaheer, but when they learned I was here, they couldn't resist attacking. They didn't know I can bend metal now though, all their weapons were swords or daggers, no benders. It wasn't that hard to stop, but it did scare me a little. I thought the Red Lotus were done for, but I guess there's still some remnants out there."

Asami shook her head "If they knew you were here in the city, they probably knew you're sleeping on this ship. They just as easily could have come here and try to kill you at night. Don't you remember what happened in Zaofu?" Korra grimaced "I didn't know they were here until they attacked and the dinner with Iroh made me forget about it until now. But you're right, I should have said something, I'm sorry."

After a moment Asami gave her a weak smile "I forgive you, but let's not make a habit of forgetting about assassination attempts in the future." She took a deep breath changing the subject "So, any ideas about what we could do today?" Korra blinked and looked to the side. She hadn't thought that far ahead. "Uhm, I'm not sure. See a play? Wander the city? Go hiking on the mountain?"

Asami paused in thought for a moment "I heard there's actually some kind of festival tonight we can visit. I'm also curious about the Pai Sho rules you came up with. And I'm curious how good you are at the game." Korra gave a weak smile "All right."

It was an interesting few hours, Korra had a decent grasp on the game's basics, but she lacked the foresight of higher level players. The avatar stared at the game board as Asami won again "I don't get it, you're always ready for whatever I'm about to do."

Asami smiled "I've been playing this since I was a child. One of the key aspects to this game is pattern recognition. You seem to know some of the common openings, but you get lost in the midgame when it becomes a question of seeing the possible results of each move you might make."

Korra shifted "I guess, what did you think of the rules I came up with?" Asami rubbed her chin for a moment "There's some merit to a few of your ideas, but your rule set is biased towards more aggressive players. If you added some movement restrictions, it would help players who focus on controlling the board."

The avatar shrugged dismissively "I think I'll leave Pai Sho rules to someone else. I should stick to the easy stuff, like making Spirit Portals or fighting Vaatu." Asami shook her head "Don't be like that, Pai Sho is a really old game, you can't master it overnight or even after years of playing. Some players don't think it can be mastered."

Sato stretched her arms up into the air "Oh, I've been meaning to ask, how has your healing gone? I don't want to push you if you're still sore." "Don't worry about it, I'm still a bit sore, but nothing to be concerned about. It'll be gone by tomorrow morning."

Korra glanced down at the board. "Do you have any other games besides Pai Sho?" Asami looked like she was about to smirk for a second but refrained. "I have the four nations card game if you want to play that." Korra started putting the Pai Sho board away "It'll be a change of pace from you crushing me in Pai Sho every single game."

The festival began that evening, neither of them were sure what it was about though. They had looked at a poster, but there was only some names and dates, no real explanation. The biggest surprise was everyone wearing masks.

"What do you think the masks are for Asami?" She shrugged "I'm not sure, ancient tradition, hide your face from the spirits? I'm not really sure." A person standing nearby overheard them "It's a tradition, it's based on a legend that goes back to before written records existed in our land."

Korra turned towards the man based on his voice. "That sounds interesting, what's the legend?" "The tale claims that the first avatar was from this land. But before he became the Avatar, he was a peasant living in poverty. Tired of starvation, he stole the ability to wield fire and used it to lead a revolution. He was afraid of reprisal so he hid his face but it didn't matter because he lost and was exiled. We wear these masks as a way to acknowledge our connection to him. At least that's what the legend claims, I doubt even the fire sages know if the story is true or not."

Asami couldn't see Korra's face behind the mask, but she knew her well enough to hear the discomfort in her voice "I've never heard that particular story before. Are there any other tales about the masks or is that the only one?" He shook his head "None as romantic sounding, making money, it's the way it's always been and so on."

They moved on after that "Are you all right Korra?" "I'm fine, what he said was true but I didn't think that tales of Wan was floating around after all this time. It's a little disconcerting to hear about it, particularly after losing the connection to my past lives." Korra shook her head for a moment as if clearing it "Enough about that, I want to enjoy this evening. Come on, there's a stage play over there."

The actors were all wearing masks. One looked like a woman, the other two seemed like men but with one had absurd features and a pair of horns. The men's robes with a mixture of red and black, but the woman wore a gold dress with a number of yellow spots. And the woman had a white sash wrapped around her head, it's ends tucked into her sash.

There didn't seem to be any dialogue and all of the movements were exaggerated. It didn't seem like they really took any noticeable steps, instead they seemed to slide from place to place on the stage. As they watched, it seemed like both men were fighting for the woman's affection. But she would send them spinning to one side when they grabbed her sleeve or hip bumped them to the ground as they reached towards her sash. After a moment men drew swords and appeared to start fighting. While they were occupied, another man jumped on stage sweeping her away. The play ended with the rivals looking about confused before drinking their misfortune away together.

Korra glanced at Asami "Well, that was interesting, I've never seen a play like that. That was a comedy righ? Everyone kept laughing but I don't think I understand the humor." Asami shrugged "I think it was making fun of how oblivious and single minded the men were. It could be an acquired taste. Anyway, let's go get something to eat and see what else is around here."

After getting back to the airship that evening, Korra seemed antsy as they went to bed. "What is it?" Asami asked. "I want to do 'the machine' thing tomorrow and go back to your estate. Today was nice, but I don't think the Fire Nation is somewhere I want to stay any longer. I feel too out of place here."

Asami gave Korra a squeeze "If that's what you want, though I'm not sure you'll like what my plans for the machine were after this morning's conversation." Korra shook her head "No, I can handle anything you throw at me, I just want to talk things over in the future, but you can keep this one as a surprise."

Asami smiled softly "All right, no complaining tomorrow then. Go to sleep, you'll need it." She pulled Korra closer to her before drifting off.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning was the same as the others. Wake up, eat breakfast and head off to Ginger's location. At least it was a routine that would end today Korra mused. As they entered the bedroom, Korra saw a few additions. The bed had a vertically slatted foot-board attached. A small black half dome object rested on the ground in front of the bed. She also noticed a pair of leather straps hanging off of the slats.

Rina and her team were already in the room, cameras set up in advance. Asami glanced at them then at Korra for a moment. "Would you excuse us for a minute?" After they had left, Asami turned towards Korra "So, this device here." She gestured at the black object "is called a sybian. It's a fairly simple device, you sit on it and it vibrates. If you want, an attachment can be added for internal stimulation. Otherwise it merely works on your external parts. With me so far?"

Korra shrugged "Seems simple enough." Asami continued "Now this is where you might have a problem. See these straps here? Those go around your wrists and ankles. We're tying you down for this." "You want to restrain me? Do you know who the last people-"

Asami cut in "To tie you up were? Yes. The Red Lotus and before that, the Earth Queen. Don't forget, I was there. There's nothing to worry about here for two reasons. First you get to pick a safe word, if things get to be too much, you use it and we stop. Second, we might be tying you up but your bending can set you free anytime you want."

Korra's frown faded slightly "That's true, but what makes you think I'd agree to be tied up in the first place?" Asami gave her one of those odd smiles again "Because I was there when you were trussed up by Hou-Ting's men. I saw three things, anger at being caught, fear of what was going to happen and pleasure from being restrained like that. I could see it in your eyes then and I can see it now when you look at the straps."

Korra remained still for a moment "The last time I was chained up, the Red Lotus tried to kill me with poison." Asami moved up to Korra sliding her arms around the avatar "I'm not the Red Lotus. I'm your partner, I'm not going to poison you. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm trying to make you happy, to bring you pleasure. We can get rid of the straps if you want, but I want you to sit there and see how it feels first."

Korra looked at Asami "All right, one hand only." As Korra settled herself on the sybian, Asami took one hand and positioned it to one side above Korra's head. She wrapped the leather around it before cinching it. "Ok, try pulling on that, see how it feels." She gave a few experimental tugs, the inside was lined with some kind of padded fur. It didn't hurt her any. She wiggled her fingers for a second producing a flame at the tip of her finger. Letting it go out, she turned to Asami "Well, the restraint doesn't hurt and I can get out pretty easily if I have to." "So what's your decision?"

Korra glanced at the cuff for a moment still thinking. Asami was right about how she had reacted to the setup the earth kingdom soldiers stuck her in. When Asami had freed herself on the airship, she had been half hoping for at least a touch or two then feeling guilty about it immediately afterward. How did Asami keep seeing these things so easily? She shook her head to clear it. "I'll do it." "What's your safeword?" "Oh, uhm ... convergence."

Asami started undoing the restraint "Like harmonic convergence? Interesting choice." She tugged off one of Korra's armbands smiling slightly "Just to keep me quiet. You can undress while I go get Rina." Asami walked off towards the door as Korra began pulling her clothes off. By the time her underwear fell to the floor, Rina's team were adjusting their cameras to the proper angle. Asami picked up the discarded clothes tossing them out of the way as Korra sat down. It didn't take long until she was tied down, she did test her cuffs for a moment to see how much give they had, it wasn't much.

Asami picked up a small square box from next to the sybian. There appeared to be some kind of dial on the front. She scooted back, flipped a switch and turned the knob a little. Korra jumped feeling the rubber positioned against her sex start moving then stop as Asami turned it off. "I'm ready when you are Rina." "Very good Miss Sato, filming in three." Rina stopped talking counting off the numbers with her fingers like before.

Korra looked in Asami's direction, she had stuffed the armband into her mouth and was turning the knob. Immediately, the rubber pad on top started vibrating. It wasn't very much, but it was noticeable. After a minute, Korra glanced towards Asami again, she had been apprehensive about the 'machine' since hearing the term, but so far this was actually somewhat boring. Asami saw the look on her face and turned the knob some more. She would have jumped, surprised from the sudden change in speed.

The vibration was definitely an improvement, but she quickly realized her positioning was quite right. She squirmed slightly as she shifted her hips forward. There was a small ridge on the flap, before it hadn't been doing anything. Korra let out a small gasp now that she could feel the vibrating pushing directly onto her clitoris.

Asami abruptly turned the knob up much higher hearing Korra's sound. The avatar jumped again in surprise before pushing herself back into position. After a bit, Korra closed her eyes and started taking deeper breaths. She watched the breasts rise and fall for a moment before turning the sybian back down. The avatar gave her another look, confused at Asami's choice. It didn't take long for her to realize what was going on as the speed continued to rise and fall.

Korra bit her lip as she began to get frustrated. Asami had teased her last time as well, but this was worse, tied to the bed, barely able to move and Asami had full control of the remote. Up and back down, up and back down. There was even a span where Sato was continually rotating the knob keeping her from getting used to any of the speeds.

She let out a ragged gasp after the speed decreased again. Giving up on Asami letting her climax, she began to slowly slide her hips back and forth on the sybian, hoping to gain release. Asami seemed to smile around the gag as she turned the knob back up to a higher speed and left it there.

Korra let out a short sigh of relief as the teasing stopped. Her hunger for release had been building the entire time Asami played with the remote. It didn't take long for her moans to start building in volume and her hips began moving faster. After another minute, she felt the orgasm hit and her back arched forward pulling against the restraints before she settled back onto the sybian.

Asami turned the machine off, Rina glanced in her direction as Asami held something up. She pulled the gag out moving to Korra's side. Sato leaned forward whispering "If you'll pull yourself up a bit, we can get round two started." Korra lifted her hips as much as she could while Asami attached a phallus shaped object to the sybian then moved away sticking the gag in her mouth again.

Korra slowly lowered herself onto the protruding part until her crotch was pressed against the sybian again. She murmured softly as she adjusted herself feeling the item brushing against her insides. After Asami turned the knob again, she let out another moan feeling the vibration against every sensitive spot at the same time. To her relief though, there wasn't any teasing this time, just a slow steady increase of speed.

Korra dropped her head back against the bedframe as she began panting. Her hands pulled at the restraints holding her to no avail as the urge to play with herself grew. She started sliding up and down on the phallus as it vibrated inside her. She curled her toes and clenched her fists as she felt another orgasm building. She turned her gaze to Asami as it exploded inside her racing up to her face and back down to her feet. Korra felt her legs quivering as she dropped back down to the sybian. She could feel the vibrations cease as Asami turned the machine off. She heard Rina stop filming and taking down the cameras again while Asami let her out of the restraints. "Well, I guess I didn't need the codeword at least." She gave a small smile as she pushed herself upward and sat down on the carpet.

Asami smiled back "I didn't think you would, but it's always best to be ready." The door opened and shut as Rina and the others left. "I realized something this morning Asami. I've had multiple orgasms here, you've only had one or two. We should do something about that."

Asami began laughing as Korra pushed her to the ground and started undressing her. She considered helping, but decided to lay back and let the avatar do all the work here. Korra pulled the boots and socks loose then the pants and underwear followed in short order. She undid the button's on Asami's jacket and shirt but didn't bother taking them off, instead pushing them to the side. Korra moved upwards kissing Asami's lips before trailing love bites down her neck towards her breasts. Asami closed her eyes as Korra took one nipple in her mouth teasing it with her tongue. She felt one of the avatar's hand gently squeezing and kneading her other breast.

After a minute, the mouth withdrew and started planting kisses on her stomach, each lower then the one before. Korra paused and looked up at Asami's face "You know, I think I love everything about your..." She stopped trying to think of the right word "...loins." Asami giggled at the last word "You like my pussy do you?" Korra trailed one finger across it's surface as she kissed one thigh "Definitely, your pussy is amazing." She moved her hand aside as she slowly trailed her tongue up then down. Asami shivered as she grasped her breasts and moaned again.

Korra gave another slow lick before opening the folds and sliding one finger in. Asami tossed her head to the side groaning as the finger began moving in and out. Korra started licking and using her finger in harmony, one then the other. As her pace increased, she could feel the other woman begin trembling and making small noises. Korra pushed herself up to her knees as she added a second finger to her penetration. As she increased her speed again, she heard Asami cry out and shake as she climaxed.

Korra licked her fingers clean letting the other woman gather her wits. "Well, I'm still ahead, but I think that brings us a little closer." Asami smiled up at Korra "Thank you. Give me a few minutes then we can clean up and go home."


	14. Chapter 14

Korra felt the floor shake slightly as the propellers started spinning and the airship rose up into the air. She watched out the window as the Fire Nation city began to grow smaller beneath her. It wasn't long until the land was replaced by water and the city faded into the horizon.

She heard footsteps as Asami entered the room and moved up to stand next to her. "So, what did you think of the Fire Nation?" Korra shrugged "I'm not really sure. It's such an odd mix, it was so different then Republic City or living in the south. I know they're as modern as the rest of the world, but everything felt so ancient."

Asami shifted her feet before replying "I think they have a nice balance of things. Modern buildings have their own aesthetics, but I still enjoy some of the old world feel. It feels more alive in many ways, steel and glass can be rather empty." Korra looked at Asami surprised "Well, I didn't expect to hear that from you, you're practically the poster child of someone from Republic City." Asami smiled "Maybe so, but I can appreciate things that are old, not everything has to be filled with gears or made of steel to impress me."

Korra looked back out the window. "Where's Lee?" Asami shrugged "He stays on the lower floor or in the cockpit when the auto-pilot isn't working. Why?" Korra reddened for a moment "I wanted to ask, when did you get so knowledgeable about sex? We're nearly the same age and it seems like you know everything about it."

Asami flushed "Well, after you went south to recover, the rest of us kinda drifted apart. Bolin left to work with Kuvira. Mako threw himself into his police work and me well, after you were gone, my life seemed empty. I had plenty of work to do on the city, but there wasn't much joy to be had from it. I got bored, lonely, frustrated and I ended up going down a … unusual path. There's a few things about it that I regret, but it filled a hole at the time and I definitely learned from it."

Korra put her hand on Asami's shoulder "And what about now? Is this something you're still doing? I'm here if you need help with anything." Asami shook her head "No, the letter I got from you snapped me out of it. I realized I wasn't on a good path and that things probably wouldn't have ended well for me. Fortunately, being rich has its advantages and I was able to put the negative parts of it behind me. But I don't want to talk about those days anymore."

Korra squeezed her shoulder "Well, some good came of it at least. The things you've done to me so far were amazing." Asami gave a soft smile in response "Well, at least we have each other now." Korra looked out the window as she took Asami's hand.

Later that afternoon, they had the joy of eating more rations. "So how do you think your railways project will go? General Iroh was telling me that the real issue was lava flows." Asami shrugged slightly "I wouldn't be surprised, the Fire Nation has always been active. I have some ideas, but a project of this size could spend months on the drawing boards before we even get to running tests. I'm not worried about it right now."

Korra paused between bites "You said you were planning to deal with the whole Iroh thing. Whatever happened with that?" Asami tapped her chin with her fork for a moment "I approached Iroh asking what his interest was. I said I was concerned that you weren't ready for a relationship with an older man. He laughed when I said I said that and said that's wasn't his intention." Korra lifted an eyebrow "So he's not actually interested? What was the point of him taking me to dinner then?"

Asami smiled slightly at Korra's response "The thing about this is that he's the Fire Lord's son and their nation is still a monarchy. He won't be ascending to the throne anytime soon, but he does have to be mindful of their internal politics. Iroh wouldn't go into details, he merely said that there are still houses who would prefer going back to how things were under the old fire lords like Ozai or Sozin." "Ok so what, he was trying to get me on his side then?"

The other woman shook her head "What he told me was that Izumi has been negotiating a marriage contract for him. It wouldn't take effect for some months so he was trying to enjoy the last of his bachelor days." Korra considered that "So he just wanted to sleep with me, is that it?"

Asami nodded as she started eating again. Korra merely looked at her as though waiting for something. "So what do you think?" Asami looked up "About what?" Korra frowned "About whether or not you'd want me to sleep with him. You're my teacher after all, I've only slept with you, I thought you'd have more to say about the idea of me being with a man."

Asami started to cough as she accidentally inhaled some water. She hunched over as she kept coughing before sitting back up, rubbing her chest as she caught her breath. "I uh wow, now this is a surprise. I thought about bringing it up, but I didn't think it would have gone over well with you."

Korra leaned back in her chair "I thought we talked about this. If you have suggestions, then you bring it up with me and I decide whether or not I'm interested." Asami pushed the food on her plate around a bit "I know that's what we agreed to, but I thought you'd take this as me asking you to be unfaithful. It's not like asking you to do something with me or something on your own and I don't even know if you even like men."

Korra smiled slightly as she reached forward taking Asami's hand in hers "I don't see this as cheating. It would be me trying out something new. And that's assuming I decide to do it or that you are even okay with the idea." Asami glanced down at Korra's hand "If you do it to see what having a man is like, then no that wouldn't bother me. After that, I would see it as cheating, unless I was involved or something like that."

The avatar remained silent for a few minutes "If Iroh is still interested, then I'm willing to do it, but don't actually tell him that. Say that you think I didn't seem against the notion, though you think I might need some encouragement on his part. I won't say yes if he just asks, I want him to seduce me."

Asami laughed "Well, aren't you the little schemer all of a sudden. I think I want to watch this now, maybe I'll talk him into letting me set up a hidden camera." Korra blushed "If you want, though I'd prefer this particular mover not get out." Asami smiled "That won't be an issue, it'd just be for us and maybe him if he asks for a copy. I doubt he will though, he doesn't seem like the type for that."

Korra turned her attention back to her food as Asami spoke "I'll wait a few days before sending him an invitation to visit the estate. It would probably take him a day or two to arrive so you have about a week's worth of waiting. Two things though, I have a powder I'll add to your tea so you won't get pregnant." Korra nodded "Ok, that makes sense, what's the other one?" Asami gave one of her odd smiles "He can use your other holes, but he doesn't get your ass. That belongs to me."

Korra felt a warm shiver run down her spine in response. Asami's smile was replaced by an intent gaze as she watched the avatar waiting to see how she'd react. Korra reddened slightly before responding "I, uh, um all right. He doesn't get my ass."

Asami smiled slightly again. "Is there anything else? I have to get a few hours of sleep in now since we're arriving back at Republic City in the middle of the night." Korra fidgeted for a second and blushed a bit "Actually yes, you don't have any hair on your crotch. Why is that, do you just not have hair grow down there?"

Asami laughed softly making Korra redden again "I have hair growing down there like everyone else. I just have a servant who helps me with how I look. Makeup, nails, and all the hair on my body, whether it's on my head or somewhere elsewhere. If you want, I'll send her to you when we get home and you can use her services." Korra smiled slightly "I'd like that, thank you." Asami stood up "I'll see you tomorrow morning after we've landed."

When Korra woke up the next morning, she found Asami up and about again. "I've already packed all our clothes, you just have to help me carry things down to the truck. Figure your muscles could use a bit of a workout." Korra picked up a couple of the bags "Right, because dresses and the like are so difficult to carry." There were a few boxes that Korra hadn't seen before, but she figured those were the deliveries Asami had mentioned. She tossed the bags into the truck before getting into the cab as Asami started driving back to the estate.

Korra spent some time playing with Naga while Asami's servants unloaded the truck and took everything inside. Asami approached as she was bending rocks for Naga to chase. "I spoke to Kaya, my stylist, for you. She'll be ready for you whenever you decide to visit her. Her room is on the second floor before you get to the pool."

She tossed Naga some snacks before heading off to Kaya's room. The woman was somewhat chubby, but had an endearing look to her. Korra glanced around, there were a number of chairs, mirrors, various implements and a bathtub/shower in the corner. Kaya turned "Ah, you're here Avatar Korra, Miss Sato asked me to see what I can do. Off with your clothes, let's see what I have to work with."

Korra lifted an eyebrow "You seem pretty quick to ask someone to take their clothes off just like that." Kaya merely laughed as she placed both hands on her stomach "My dear, I've been doing this for a long time. I've worked for the Sato's since before Asami was born, I handle the grooming for their servants and occasionally guests. If I'm direct, it's because I prefer not wasting time. And there's no need to be shy around me, I've seen pretty everything you can doing this."

Korra shrugged and started undressing at that. As she did so, Kaya pulled out a pair of gloves from a drawer and waited for Korra to finish. Once the last piece of clothing fell on the ground, Kaya walked around her with a critical eye. "Very lovely my dear, your hair could use some work, but it needs to be longer before I can do anything with it. Your legs seem fine, though you might need a better tool to shave with."

She lifted Korra's arms one at a time inspecting the pits. After that, she spread Korra's legs apart with her foot to inspect the crotch "This is the worst area. How do you manage this? Trimming, shaving, waxing, or do you just let it grow out on it's own?"

Korra blushed "I mostly just take scissors and cut all the stuff that looks too long." Kaya grunted slightly as she crouched and started using a finger to push some folds aside for a more in-depth look. "Well, you appear to be reasonably lucky as far as hair goes, there's nothing here that's tricky to deal with. The question is what you want done."

Korra flushed red again as Kaya gently prodded around "Well, I already shave my armpits, but I'm not sure about the hair down below." Kaya glanced up at Korra's face "Your pubic hair? Well, there's a few options, we can use wax to get rid of it all or I can trim or shave it to the desired shape. Triangles and strips are probably the most common choices there." She turned away picking up a book "Here's some pictures to give you an idea." She handed the book to Korra who flipped through the pages. "Umm, I like the way the strip looks."

Kaya nodded "All right that's easy enough to do. Hop in the shower, wash everything then soak in the bathtub for a few minutes. It'll make this easier to do. I'm not sure how fast your hair will grow back so I can't say how often you'll have to return. We'll have to wait and see for that."

Korra got dressed again and went looking for Asami after Kaya finished her work. Korra found herself wondering what other kinds of things she was able to do, Asami had mentioned nails, but those would probably break once she started fighting someone.

Asami found her as Korra was looking out at the pool. "Oh hey there you are Asami, I was looking for you. Have you contacted Iroh yet?" She shook her head "I wanted to see if you were still interested in doing it before I called him." Korra nodded "I'm not backing out now, I'm kinda looking forward to this now."Asami smiled slightly "All right then, I'll make all the arrangements, you just have to wait a few days."


	15. Chapter 15

It was a long week of waiting for Korra. Asami did her best to keep the avatar from getting too anxious, though another attempt at driving might not have been the best idea for Asami's sanity. At least they were on the track and not in the city she had to admit. As she considered Iroh's arrival, she found herself found herself spending hours practicing with the dildo in her room.

Aside from the dildo, Korra had decided to hold off any kind of sexual activity until Iroh arrived, but she couldn't resist showing off the changes she had made to Asami after the session with Kaya. "A strip huh? It looks good, but I think a part of me will miss the wild barbarian look from before." Korra gave a mock scowl "I'm no barbarian, I was just a little unkempt before." Asami giggled "I'm just giving you a hard time, you look great no matter what kind of hair you have in your pants." And bit by bit, the week passed.

Korra muttered to herself "When is he getting here again?" Asami smiled. "Relax, he's on his way. Go workout in the gym for a bit then head to the massage tables. I'll send him your way soon enough, don't worry, everything's under control."

She found herself lifting some of the barbells for a bit before starting to sprint around the outer track. It didn't take long for sweat to break out. Korra pushed herself for a bit longer until she saw her shirt collar beginning to darken in one of the mirrors.

Turning away, she headed into the massage room and stripped her clothes off behind the changing screen. Korra grabbed a towel wrapping it around herself. Normally the gym attendant, Nini, would be there if she wanted a massage, but Asami had given all the staff the night off. She laid herself down on the table, it was only a matter of time before Iroh arrived. She folded her arms resting her chin on her hands.

After a few minutes, she heard footsteps behind her. "Is that you Nini?" She put on a slightly pouty tone "Where did you go? I was hoping for a massage after working out." Iroh laughed "You might have been waiting for a while. Miss Sato said she had given her staff the night off."

Korra glanced back at Iroh "Well, I guess I'll have to live without it for tonight then." She started to sit up wrapping the towel around her. Before she started moving off the table she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. "I may not be an expert, but I might be able to help here." Korra shrugged laying back down on the table "All right, why not."

Iroh's hands remained focused on her shoulders and upper back alternating between a downward pressure with his fingers and caressing her skin. Korra sighed contentedly as the hands glided down her arms before returning to her upper back. The pace remained languid but she felt the pressure increase somewhat as Iroh started his thumbs and the heel of his palms. The hand's started following her spine moving up from the small of her back towards her neck then back down her sides. She sighed again feeling his fingers almost, but not quite grazing her breasts.

The hands withdrew from her back and made contact again on her ankles. Iroh started gliding his hands along her legs up to her thighs and back down to her ankles. After a few repeat passes, he turned his attention to her feet. She tensed slightly thinking he was about to tickle her. Instead Iroh raised one foot slightly and began using his thumbs to press against the sole of her foot. She let out a soft murmur of approval as one thumb moved to her foot's arch rubbing in a circle. The other thumb moved to her toes rubbing their bottom for a moment. Iroh set the leg back down before repeating himself on Korra's other foot.

After setting her second foot back down, he returned to the legs, this time using the heel of his palms to press deeper as he moved his hands in a circular motion. Iroh slowly worked his way to the insides of her legs then back to the outside. Korra gave another sigh and moved her legs further apart to give him some extra room. Once he reached her thighs, he remained there continually going over the inside of her thighs, each pass getting closer to where they joined.

Korra moaned softly at the touches and rolled over to look up at Iroh. She took the towel in one hand pulling it off holding it in the air to one side. After a few seconds, she dropped it, Iroh looked at her surprised. She smiled "You're not going to just do one side are you?"

Iroh gave a slight grin as he started pressing his fingers in and around her collarbone "All right then." His hands slid away from her neck and down her arms before moving to her stomach. Iroh slowly caressed her lower belly and sides, his hands made the occasional pass of just barely grazing against her breasts and almost the nether regions. Korra grumbled in her head, Asami was the only one allowed to tease her. Deciding to be more direct, she sat up grabbing his hands, pulling one to her breast and sticking the other between her legs. "You can have me anyway you want, you just have to take it. No playing around."

Iroh chuckled "Well all right then Korra." He squeezed the breast he was touching before moving his hand to the other one. Korra moaned softly spreading her legs a bit as she felt him beginning to softly stroke her crotch.

She lay back down on the table as he continued stroking her. Iroh didn't make any effort to slide his fingers into her, instead he would continue rubbing or gently grab and squeeze her pussy with an occasional pull thrown in. Korra kept her hands on her breasts gently massaging herself as Iroh remained busy. Her chest began to slowly rise and fall as her breathes became deeper. As her arousal began growing, she pushed herself up off of the table and started undoing Iroh's belt then his pants.

Asami had had a couch moved into the room for Korra to use. She led Iroh over to it before pushing him down onto his back. Grabbing his underwear with both hands, she tugged it down off his legs before kneeling astraddle his ankles . Iroh started unbuttoning his shirt as she considered his crotch. He was thicker then the dildo she had been practicing on, but it wasn't enough of a difference to be daunted by.

She reached forward running her fingers down his shaft towards the base then back up. As she closed her fingers around him, Korra could feel his dick respond by growing more rigid. She started moving her hand up and down before leaning forward giving a quick lap with her tongue to check the taste.

It didn't taste particularly strongly of anything that would bother her so Korra opened her mouth and began sliding him inside. Iroh murmured softly as she began running her tongue around the tip in her mouth. Bit by bit, she continued to take him deeper until she reached the halfway point. Once there Korra began moving her mouth up and down while continuing to lick away with her tongue and squeeze with her hand. Iroh started letting out an occasional groan as her ministrations continued until she halted abruptly pulling her head away. "What are you doing?"

She smiled in response reaching down to the floor before coming up with a jar in her hand. She unscrewed the lid dipping her fingers into the lubricant inside. He watched as she started smearing the gel onto him using her hand to stroke up and down to spread it about.

Korra took him back into her mouth after she finished applying the lube. She mentally made a note to thank Asami for suggesting that she practice on the dildo. It was striking how much of a difference this stuff made for her. She had only gotten halfway down without it, but now she was easily able to swallow him entirely. Iroh groaned again as she began to move her mouth up and down once more with the occasional flick of her tongue added in for good measure.

Iroh sat partway up as he reached out to grab one of her hands. He guided her fingers to the base of his scrotum "Just rub and press right...here." Iroh lowered himself back onto the couch as she obliged him while slowing her head movement to make it easier.

As Korra continued, she heard Iroh begin to groan both more frequently and louder. She pushed her head down one last time holding her head in position and began rubbing harder at his base. He groaned once more and shuddered. She felt his shaft twitching as it unloaded itself into her mouth. Korra waited until it finished before pulling away swallowing a few times before taking several deep breathes.

Iroh looked at her surprised before laughing "Well, I hope it doesn't taste horrible, it's been a long time since a woman's done that for me." Korra gave a half smirk "It tastes as fine as the other part of you I tried, though I'm no expert ." Iroh put his hands up in mock surrender "Fair enough, though I'll consider that a compliment nonetheless."

She glanced down at Iroh "So, are you up for more?" He smiled slightly "I'm not that old yet." He reached up up stroking her crotch with his fingers until he started to harden once again. He reached up taking her by the shoulders drawing her down to the couch and onto her side. Iroh slid one arm under her neck cupping her breast while pulling her firmly against his chest. His free hand took a hold of his shaft to guide it into her. She groaned softly feeling him slowly press all the way inside.

Iroh wrapped his other arm around her holding on just below her ribs. He slightly adjusted his position behind her before beginning to slide himself partway out then back in. Korra moaned again as he slowly began to speed up. She felt him nip at her neck while starting to play with the breast and nipple he was holding onto. Korra closed her eyes beginning to moan more often as Iroh reached a steady rhythm in his thrusts. She reached up taking the hand from her breast and moving it down to her sex positioning his fingers just so "There."

She smiled as Iroh understood what she wanted right away. Her moans grew louder from the extra caresses. Iroh seemed content to humor her for another minute before pulling his hand back and withdrawing from inside her. Korra glanced up confused for a moment until he gently rolled her onto her back and positioned himself between her legs. He slowly slid back into her while putting his hands on her sides below her ribcage.

Korra let out a sound that was half moan of pleasure and half yelp of surprise as Iroh suddenly began thrusting in and out faster then he had before. She reached around his back digging her fingers in as she began moaning each time Iroh pushed into her. It didn't take long for Iroh to start groaning on his own until he thrust himself as deep as he could in one last motion. She felt him shuddering while going soft inside of her before withdrawing one last time, a satisfied look on his face.

Iroh laid atop her for several minutes seemingly content to enjoy the moment. Eventually though he pushed himself off her and to his side, resting on his elbow. He swept one last admiring gaze over her body before speaking. "Thank you Korra, It's been a while since I've had such a wonderful evening with a woman as lovely as yourself." He stood up taking her hand and kissing the back of it "Would it be too much trouble to ask if there's a shower nearby?." Korra paused for a moment thinking then pointed "The next door gym has a men's shower and towels you can use off that way."

Iroh glanced the direction she pointed "All right that should work. And thank you again, tell Asami she's a lucky woman for me." He gave a small grin then turned heading off. Korra watched him walk away before heading for the women's shower herself.


	16. Chapter 16

As Korra was heading to bed, she found Asami standing outside her door waiting. "Well, that was quite a show the two of you put on. Wish I had gotten it on film, but Iroh wasn't interested in that. Still, I think I'll remember it quite well for a long time." Korra blushed as Asami arms slipped around her waist. "So now that it's done, how did it feel being with a man?"

She looked at the floor, suddenly bashful "Um...it was all right...it felt good, but there was no real feeling to it. I like Iroh, he's a good man, but there wasn't any emotional connection. Not like when it was you and me."

Asami smiled for a moment before leaning in and kissing Korra on the neck "Now that's music to my ears. I have a question for you though, would you mind if I had your things moved to the master bedroom? You don't have to stay in a guest room anymore if you don't want to." It was a quiet minute before Korra responded "I can't say I'm not tempted, but what would that mean for us exactly? Does it count as moving in for good? I'm not sure what to think here."

Sato shrugged slightly "It means what we decide it means. Living together is a big step for couples, but you've already been living in my home since the war ended. But we can make it sorta semi-official now that you're not hiding from who you are anymore." Korra laughed "Sorta semi-official? What is that supposed to mean?"

Asami gave a mock scowl swatting Korra on the shoulder "You know what I'm trying to say, that we're partners now, that we've stopped dancing around and admitted our feelings to each other." The avatar laughed again "All right all right, I'll move in with you. Though I can't promise I'll always let you get a full night's rest if we're in the same bed." Sato chuckled "If you say so. One of your bags got delivered to my room, it has some of your clothes in it. The staff can get the rest of your things tomorrow."

It didn't take long for them to get changed and into bed. Asami tried to take her usual position, but Korra kept tossing and turning. "What's wrong Korra?" "This bed, it's too soft, it feels weird."

Asami started laughing "The bed is too soft? You've slept in beds like this before. This isn't that much different then the ones at Zaofu. And what about the ones in the southern water tribe?"

Korra shook her head "I had them give me a different mattress when we visited Zaofu. And in the south, I either was sleeping against Naga or on whatever the White Lotus gave me... those weren't the most comfortable. And don't get me started on what passed for beds on Air Temple Island."

"Well, there's no time like the present to get used to luxury. You'll adjust in no time." Korra shrugged slightly "If you say so, this feels like a cloud or some kind of cotton candy." Asami frowned "Wait, you've been staying here for over a month, the guest bedrooms aren't that bad." Korra grimaced realizing she had been caught "Uh well, I always pulled the blankets off and slept on the floor."

Asami frowned "You're telling me that you're intimidated by soft beds?" "What! No, I'm... just not used to this." Asami shook her head "It's just a bed, you've dealt with a lot of things worse then sleeping on something soft." Korra squirmed a bit "OK ok, you're right. I'll try not to complain... too much." Asami shook her head in disbelief "You're impossible, go to sleep."

Korra woke up the next morning expecting to see Asami already up and about but Asami was still asleep next to her in the bed. She smiled slightly at finally being the first one awake for once. Turning away, she looked around the room for a moment.

She didn't consider herself an expert on decorating or furnishings, but the room was as tasteful and luxurious as anywhere she had ever been before. Something in one corner drew her eye as she looked around. It wasn't something she had noticed the night before, a slightly raised hatch in the floor. She got up walking over to examine it more carefully.

The top of it was covered in carpet and would be difficult to see when closed. Korra frowned at the sight. A hidden hatch in the floor, this was reminding her of when they discovered Asami's father was an Equalist. She glanced over her shoulder at the still sleeping Asami then turned back to the hatch.

She lifted it higher looking down at the dark below before starting to climb down the steps.

Korra glanced around for a light switch as she reached the floor, but it was too dark to see anything. She lifted one hand, a flame hovering above her palm. It didn't light much, but she didn't want to make it bigger without knowing what was in the room.

The first thing she saw was a pair of chains hanging from the ceiling. She frowned at the sight as she pulled the chains closer so she could see. Both chains had an identical pair of padded cuffs at the end. Korra dropped them and started to turn away when she stubbed her foot on something. She let out a reflexive yelp as the flame went out.

She muttered to herself annoyed as she crouched down while reigniting the flame. Korra glanced down to see what exactly she had kicked. It took her a second to spot it, a small metal half circle sticking out of the floor. One of the chains lightly brushed against her head, Korra turned to brush it aside and spotted another half circle a foot or two away from it's twin.

By now, she was starting to get uneasy, what was this place? Some kind of prison cell beneath Asami's bedroom? Korra moved away from the chains and deeper into the room. It didn't take long until she bumped into something. Turning towards it, she made her flame bigger to get a better look.

It was a chair mounted on top of a blocky base. The chair's back was partially reclined and it had what looked like adjustable arm and leg rests. Furthermore, there were straps on each of the rests and one across the back. Korra gulped uneasily as she realized what they were for.

Abruptly the darkness vanished in an instant as light flooded the room. Korra threw her hand over her eyes as she let the fire go out. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust before she looked up. Asami was standing near the stairway up to her room, a slightly worried look on her face. "I left the hatch up didn't I?"

Korra looked around the room now that she could see everything. More pieces of furniture with restraints attached, shelves holding whips, ropes and other things. Some regular chairs and a dresser as well. She turned back to Asami "What is this room?"

Asami shifted slightly "How to explain, I've given you bits and pieces of the story already, but I'll start from where this began. It was when we were captured outside the Misty Palms Oasis. I'm not sure exactly when I started to fall for you, but I was definitely aware of it by that time. I tried to fight the soldiers, but the attack was too sudden for me to have a chance. It didn't take long for them to get me in cuffs, that was awful, but watching them truss you up...well, it was exciting and horrifying at the same time. I rather liked how you looked, but I was afraid because we had been captured. And after I got free, I was tempted, but it wasn't the time or place for that. That and I wasn't sure what your feelings then were."

She coughed once before continuing. "So anyways, you know the next part, escaping the sandshark, beating the Red Lotus and then you left to go recover. After you were gone, I felt a large hole that I felt I needed to fill." As Asami spoke, she had moved through the room until she was standing next to the chains. She picked one up and held it in her hands "And I filled it, or thought I had, with things like this or those." She gestured towards the shelves. "There were some other...substances I started using as well that I'd rather not remember."

Korra frowned confused "So you what, had people tying you up like I was on that machine in the Fire Nation?" Asami shook her head slightly "Well, for a week or two at first yes. It didn't take long for me to realize that I hated being restrained, being out of control. I prefer to be on the other end, being the one who was in charge. And that's what I was doing, for a while anyways, until your letter arrived. It was like a light bulb turned on and I realized I was on a destructive path. It took some doing, but I cleaned up my act and got things back in order. Then the war with Kuvira happened and now we're here."

Korra crossed her arms as the pieces started falling into place. "Wait, that's what you were doing that whole trip. Bossing me around, giving me orders, calling yourself my teacher." Her eyes widened "That's why you wanted to tie me to that bed, you wanted to see if I would do it."

Asami grimaced "I know it sounds bad when you put it like that. But you're right, I was testing your boundaries, seeing what you would agree to do and what you would refuse." Korra threw her hands up "I thought we agreed to be open about this sort of thing, the only reason you're telling me this is because I stumbled on this secret here!." She gestured around here as she spoke. "And speaking of secrets, what about your little mystery trips that you were taking? Are you going to tell me what those were about?"

Asami sighed as she rubbed at her temples. "I...all right, I might as well get it all out now. I don't need to tell you what Chi blocking is, the Equalists used it against you in the past after all. I don't agree with what they used it for, but the ability itself allows non-benders, such as myself, to even the gap we have in combat. I never knew where Amon's men learned it, until I learned about Ty Lee while we were searching for airbenders in the Earth Kingdom. I never had the chance to visit the Fire Nation until now, that's what I was doing. Learning how to block chi."

Korra frowned "And you kept that a secret? Why wouldn't you just tell..." Her voice trailed off as it hit her "You were thinking that..." Korra turned and stared at the chains "Without bending, I wouldn't.." Her temper snapped as she spun on Asami "You want to take away my bending! Just like Amon! Why! Why would you want that!?"

Korra felt herself teetering on the edge of the Avatar State as she stared Asami down. If it had been anyone else, she already would have entered it. A gust of wind started blowing through the room as she struggled to maintain control.

Asami's face changed to a look of panic once she realized what was happening. "I... I -. Yes the idea occurred to me, but I never brought it up because I realized you wouldn't accept it. The only reason I even considered it was because it would be the only way for you to surrender control to someone else. With your current level of metal bending and spiritual connection back, you would never be truly helpless, you could always escape whatever restraints were put on you."

Korra growled softly "And that's what you want is it? Having me helpless, locked up so you could do whatever you wanted to me?" Asami's eyes locked onto hers unwavering "Yes, a part of me wants that, but only if you're willing. Wanting to be in control, that's part of who I am, and having someone control you, that's part of who you are. The only question is how far you're willing to go and that's something only you can answer Korra."

Asami moved away from the chains leaving a clear path between Korra and the stairs. "If you leave me because of this, I'll understand." She looked at the chains "This particular... hobby is unusual enough in it's own right and your position as the Avatar only makes it more complicated. I won't tell you what to think, I only ask that you do so. Whatever you decide, I'll support, no matter what it is."

Korra looked at her for a moment before storming up the steps and away. Asami leaned her head against the chains as tears started running down her face.


	17. Chapter 17

It had been three days since Korra had left. According to the staff, she had ransacked the kitchen then rode off on Naga. Asami sighed dejectedly as she pushed some of her food around on the plate with a fork. "Now there's a face I haven't seen in a while. What exactly happened with you and Korra?"

Asami glanced up as Kaya sat down across the table from her "She found out what's in my father's old private study. Our conversation didn't go very well, she didn't much like what I had to say." Kaya folded her arms leaning forward on the table "I've known you since you were born Asami. I was there when your father first held you."

"In all that time, you've always thought your decisions through when given the chance. I can see how you and Korra feel about each other, it's obvious to any woman with a lick of sense. What I don't understand is why you're letting her cloud your judgment so badly. This is the person you want to be your partner, not some random person those clubs provided. There's more to relationships then a pair of handcuffs, your father and I raised you better then that."

Asami flinched at the rebuke and remained quiet as she considered her words. "You're right, as always. What would I do without you Kaya?" She laughed as she pushed herself to her feet "Your skin and hair would look horrible without me around, that's what. Think about what you're going to say when that woman comes back." "And if Korra doesn't return?" Kaya laughed again "Oh she'll be back sooner or later, you just hope she doesn't bring a mountain with her."

She spent some time looking out over the forest before heading back to her room. She started changing when she saw the hatch was open. Asami frowned, she had closed it after Korra had taken off. She walked over intending to close it before seeing the light was on. She lifted an eyebrow before moving down the steps to see what was going on. All the staff knew to stay away from this room, at least the few who even knew the hatch was there did anyways. At first she didn't see anything or anyone until she moved past the chair and saw Korra sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Asami stopped short caught off guard, she had begun thinking of something to say, but everything fled her mind. Korra turned her head "I was wondering when you'd find your way down here again."

Asami took a deep breath as she reminded herself to play things safe. "Wh- When did you get back?"

Korra shrugged "A couple of hours ago, I snuck in, took a shower then came down here to wait."

Asami took a few steps forward then sat down in front of Korra. "So, I was worried when you took off, but you seem to be fine. I'm not really sure what to say here, so I'm going to shut up and listen." Korra repositioned her legs before responding "I spent a lot of time thinking about our conversation. First thing is I don't like all the secrets you've kept from me. Is there anything else I should know?"

Asami simply shook her head as she hugged her legs. "Ok, next subject. Explain this whole control thing to me, I haven't pieced it all together. yet"

Asami raised her hand to her chin as she considered how to answer "So the most common term is bondage. There's a lot of different ways it can be done, it comes down to the people involved. But it boils down to the amount of control or power each person has. There's two roles, the person in charge is the dominant partner, some shorten it to dom, that's what I've gravitated towards. The other person is the submissive partner or sub, the one giving up control. When you were tied to the bed, you were taking the sub's role though you weren't aware of it."

"And that's what you were trying to turn me into? Your sub?" Korra spoke in a flat tone, but Asami could hear a bit of heat behind it. She shook her head "Not exactly no. I've tried to turn this into a dominant/submissive relationship yes, and that's a mistake of mine. I've focused too much on that and hurt our relationship because of it. And for what it's worth, I'm not trying to force you to be a submissive person. It's... like before when you wouldn't admit your feelings for me. I had to push you into accepting that part of yourself. I don't see this as being any different."

Korra fiddled with one of her armbands for a moment. "And how does blocking my bending come into into this?" Asami grimaced and looked away "Well, there are subs who can bend, but containing their abilities is doable with the right restraints. Trap the hands, cover the mouth, lock their limbs in place, put them somewhere that doesn't have their element. Once that is done, they can't use their bending to free themselves and only then are they truly giving up control. With non benders, it's not an issue to begin with."

"But you, you have all four elements, metal bending and the Avatar State, trying to contain you is nearly impossible. The Red Lotus used Shirshu toxin, but paralysis doesn't really work for this. The only viable solution is Chi Blocking. And for what it's worth, I first wanted to learn it so I could use it in combat. I started searching for someone who could teach me after the Equalist rebellion, it's potential use for bondage only occurred to me when I realized you were interested in me."

"And what will you do if I say that I'm not interested in any of this?" Korra gestured at the room as she spoke. Asami glanced about "Then I'll have everything in here burned or melted down. I do have to apologize for this Korra, I let the idea of having you as a plaything take me over. I shouldn't have pushed you like I did. You're my partner or at least I want you to be." She balled her fists up as she spoke pressing her knuckles into her legs.

Korra pushed herself up on one hand before moving to sit on Asami's lap "And if I said I was interested in it, what then?" Asami looked up confused "What? I don't understand, what are you trying to say Korra? You just said you weren't interested, now you're saying you are?" Korra gave her one of those teasing smirks "And if I said I was interested in being a sub, what then?"

Asami coughed once "In that case, I'd do my best to be a good dom." Korra eyed her for a moment "So the Chi Blocking you learned, can you undo it or does it have to wear off on its own?" Asami lifted an eyebrow "It can be undone, it's as easy as putting it on in the first place." Korra smiled suddenly "Then that's all I needed to hear." She grabbed Asami's lapels pulling her forward as she kissed her deeply. After what felt like an hour, they broke apart. Asami took a deep breath "Korra..."

The avatar shook her head as she put her hand over Asami's mouth "I was mad when you said you wanted to take my bending away, but I shouldn't have compared you to Amon. He wanted to destroy all benders everywhere. You were right about how I felt on that earth kingdom airship, and about how I responded to everything you did on our trip to the fire nation. I enjoyed every second of it even if I was reluctant at times. I don't know if it's something you bring out in me or if that's just how I am sexually, but I do want this. But only when we're alone together here, I may be submitting to you here, but everywhere else I'm the Avatar."

Asami looked at her surprised "Are you sure you want to go through with this? I don't want to force you into anything you're not comfortable with." Korra shook her head "This is what I want, and I do have a safeword after all." She blushed "So how do we go about...doing this."

Asami nodded slowly "All right then. How do we do this? It's simple really. You obey or please me and I'll see that you're rewarded. If you don't follow orders or displease me, I punish you." Her voice changed to a sterner tone as she continued "And you don't call me Asami, you will address me as Mistress, understand?" Korra laughed as though a joke had been told "All right then Asami."

Asami frowned before shoving Korra off her lap and onto the floor. "Take off your clothes and get on your hands and knees." Korra looked up startled before pulling off her shirt then her pants. She wasn't wearing a bra, but had taken the time to put on the crotchless underwear she had seen on the airship.

Asami gave an amused smile "You can leave those on, now get into position." After Korra put her hands on the ground, Asami moved to stand behind her. As she spoke, she punctuated each word with a light slap to Korra's bottom "I said to address me as Mistress. Do you understand?" Korra flinched in surprise at the first hit but remained still after that. "Yes Mistress."

Asami eyed her for a moment "Okay pet, stand up for me. This is your last chance to back out, after this we're committed." Korra stood up slowly taking deep breaths as she steeled herself. She closed her eyes and spoke in a small and slightly shaky voice "Ok, I'm ready."

She moved to stand behind Korra putting her fingers on her back. The avatar flinched away from the contact for a moment before stilling herself. Asami traced her fingers up and down feeling the muscles underneath. She pulled her hands back before lightly hitting several pressure points along the shoulders and spine. Korra stumbled forward catching herself on her hands. She pushed herself back up after a minute, but still looked somewhat wobbly.

Asami tried to maintain her dom voice, but couldn't help breaking out of it. "Are you all right Ko -my pet? Can you bend?" Korra shook her head as if to clear it before throwing a few punches . She reached one hand out towards the chains but nothing happened. "I - no, I can't bend, it's blocked. And so is the Avatar State." Asami gave Korra an affectionate back rub "You're being very brave for me pet. As a reward, you get to choose what restraints I put you in this time."

Korra had spent time thinking about what this would feel like, to have her bending taken by Asami. When Amon had done it, she had felt corrupted and violated by his bloodbending, everything about that had felt unnatural. This wasn't remotely similar, in fact it didn't feel like anything had happened to her at all. There had been a brief moment of vertigo and she had lost her balance. But she felt normal after that, just nothing happened when she tried to bend.

She looked around the room trying to decide. The chains reminded her too much of the Red Lotus, some of the furniture looked odd enough to be off-putting at the moment. She eyed the chair before making up her mind and sitting down in it. Asami watched her settle herself before positioning the rests to properly support Korra's arms and legs.

She cinched down her ankles first then a strap across her waist. Korra's breathing quickened as each strap was pulled tight and locked into place. After Asami secured her wrists, she stepped back inspecting the view. "So pet, do you think you can pull free of these?" Korra strained against each of the bands one at a time. "No Asami." Asami frowned and slapped one of Korra's breasts "No what?" "No mistress. I can't pull free." "Tell me, can you bend yourself out of this?" Korra shook her head "No, I can't." "I guess you're completely helpless now aren't you?" "Yes."

Asami moved away towards one of the shelves leaving Korra to her thoughts. Amon had taken her earth, fire and water, but she had been left with air. Unalaq had severed her from Raava for a time. Part of her had been expecting this to feel similar to those events, but it wasn't. She was stuck on this chair, her body exposed and vulnerable to whatever Asami chose to do. She had never felt so trapped and helpless at the same time, but it wasn't horrifying. It actually felt incredible, she could feel herself starting to grow moist just from the feeling of the straps against her skin.

Asami made her way back to the chair holding an end table in one hand and some kind of cylinder in the other. She set the items down before glancing at Korra's face and pushing her legs apart to take a look at her groin "Well well, it looks like you're already beginning to enjoy yourself without my help at all. Tell me something, what did I say to you about sleeping with General Iroh?"

Korra cast her thoughts back thinking "Um, you told me to drink something that would keep me from getting pregnant Asami." Asami shook her head as she slapped Korra's vulva. The blow was light, but it was just enough for her to arch her back and whimper slightly. "You forgot who I am and you were wrong besides. Try again." She bit her lip trying to think back but took long enough for Asami to slap her in the same spot. She let out a soft cry before it came back to her "You said that he couldn't have my ass Mistress."

Asami nodded "And what did you say to him before you started fucking?" Korra looked up at her confused then started trying to remember before she got hit again. She wasn't fast enough but this time Asami hit her other breast. "Well pet?" She winced slightly, the blows weren't damaging, but they did sting, in a strangely pleasant sort of way. "I said...I said he could have me any way he wanted, he just had to take it." Asami raised her hand. "Mistress" Korra added hurriedly.

"Tell me, do you think that was in line with what I told you? That your ass belonged to me?" Korra shook her head "No mistress, it wasn't." Asami picked the cylinder up "Now I know this your first real night as a sub, but I can't set a bad example by letting you get away with offering your ass to Iroh. I'll keep your punishment quick tonight though. What do you think of that?"

Korra bit her lip nervously "I...thank you mistress..." She looked at the tool increasingly anxious about whatever was going to happen. She twisted a dial on the cylinder and it immediately started emitting a noticeable buzz. Asami reached in spreading Korra's folds apart and touching the tool directly to her clitoris. Korra gasped, reflexively straining against the bands holding her down. "Aaaaaaaah"

Her next reaction was to try and pull away from the sudden stimulation, it was far more intense then anything she had previously felt. But the restraints kept her from moving very far in any direction and Asami was quick to adjust her tool's position. She let out another moan each time the device was applied again as she continued trying unsuccessfully to writhe away.

The sensations from the device weren't just limited to her groin, she could feel waves running down to her toes and upwards into the center of her chest. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes as she gave up on trying to pull away. It wasn't quite painful, but was on the upper limit of what she thought she could endure. Korra heard a smile as Asami spoke "Starting to enjoy it now are you? Let's see how you handle this."

She felt the vibrations cease for a moment as Asami removed her toy. When it returned, it was even stronger then before. Korra cried out and jumped away or would have if she had been able. She let out a loud shriek thrashing her head from side to side from the increased vibrations. Korra began trying to pull away again with increased vigor but like before, Asami kept her from being able to escape. Her breathing quickly grew ragged and beads of sweat started running down her forehead while she started trying to ask for it to be turned back down. "No no nnnaaaagh no, tha's too -aaaaaaaaaah." She felt herself abruptly orgasm, her back arching as much as she could against the strap across her stomach.

Thankfully, Asami pulled the device away switching it off as she panted from her sudden burst of ecstasy. Korra felt fingers running across her forehead and into her hair "So tell me, do you feel like you've been punished pet?" The avatar shuddered once more before answering "Yes mistress, I do."

Asami started wiping the device off with a towel "I could do more, but I think that will suffice. I like to keep my punishments short and to the point. I am impressed you were able to handle that as well as you did. Most people can't handle that high of a setting, but I knew you were strong enough for it."

She leaned forward planting a kiss on Korra's cheek "That was well done, I'm proud of you pet."

Korra thought she would have been angry hearing that, but all she felt was a thrill of pleasure at the praise. "So what now mistress?" Asami smiled as she started undoing the straps "Well, I think this was an excellent start. With someone else, I would make them sleep on the floor next to my bed, but your aversion to a soft mattress means you get to sleep next to me." She put a hand on her hip "But if I hear you complain at all, I'll bring you back down here and strap you into this chair for the night." "Yes mistress."

Korra eased her way out of the chair starting to stand before Asami lightly pulled on her hair. "Uh nuh, you can crawl tonight. Maybe if you behave better next time, I'll let you walk." Korra quickly dropped to her hands and knees once Asami let go. "Very good pet, go clean yourself up then get in bed."

It didn't take long for her to follow those instructions. After getting in the bed, she felt Asami's fingers push at the same pressure points she hit earlier. "Your bending should be back now Korra." As a quick test, she held one hand up lighting a flame above it then quickly let it go. "Thank you Asami, for everything."

Asami reached up turning Korra's face towards hers "You're welcome. And I have to say, you're easily going to be the best sub I've had. And the last of course, I love you, you know that?" Korra smiled "I love you too." She pulled Asami's face towards hers for a deep kiss before drifting off to sleep. Asami watched her for a moment as thoughts of their future as partners, both in life and bondage raced through her mind. She gently kissed the back of Korra's neck before going to sleep herself.


	18. Chapter 18

Korra woke up the next morning to an empty bed. She glanced towards the window seeing light stream between the shutters. The bathroom door opened and Asami entered the room. She glanced over as Korra stretched her arms up towards the ceiling "Good morning, sleep well?"

She shrugged slightly "It was all right, little sore after last night, but nothing to worry about. Though it would have been worse if you had turned that toy up any higher. Asami's eyes flickered towards the hatch for a split second "You don't have to worry about that, that actually was the highest setting my vibrator goes to. And if you're worried about feeling it again, you just have to remember to behave yourself." Asami gave a teasing smile after she finished talking. Korra crossed her arms "I behave myself, it was just a heat of the moment comment. Anyways, what now? I'm back to where I was before, sitting around with nothing to do."

Asami walked over to one of her dressers and picked up a book off it "Well, we did have a conversation about you possibly learning more healing techniques on our trip. I actually went ahead and spoke to Katara. She won't be coming here personally, but she gave me some book recommendations and mentioned some kind of training dummy. I think the book will help, but I'm not sure what good a dummy will do."

"It's how healing is taught, you can't practice on a real person until you've proven you know what you're doing. The dummy is a kind of safety net, it's actually how Katara was first taught healing when she visited the north with Aang. And it lets you simulate any kind of injuries you'll have to deal with."

Asami glanced down at the book as she made her way towards the bedside "That makes sense, I never really thought about it. Anyways, this is the book she recommended and I had a spare room set up with the equipment after it arrived." She handed the book to Korra "Also one more thing, don't take it the wrong way, but you should go visit Kaya again." Korra reddened slightly as she took the book "I will and thanks for this book and the dummy. It means a lot."

Kaya was already in her salon when Korra arrived. She was running a scissor blade along a block of stone as Korra walked in. Kaya didn't look up though, intent on what she was doing. After each swipe, she turned the blade over and ran the other side along the brick. Korra crossed her arms watching curiously as she set the blade aside and started on another. It was slightly hypnotic in a way, each pass identical to the last and the same slight hiss of metal grinding against stone.

Kaya glanced up after finishing the second blade "Ah, so you're back and the mansion seems to be in one piece. I guess that means you and Asami made up after all." Korra frowned not wanting to get into the details with the stylist "We talked about some things but that's it."

The older woman chuckled as she started reassembling the pair of scissors "If you don't want to give me details, then that's fine. But you don't run off for three days then try to sneak back into the mansion if there wasn't more to the story. I'm guessing that Asami's...inclinations weren't enough to completely scare you off. I will admit to being surprised that the Avatar of all people would enjoy it."

Korra flushed embarrassed as she realized that Kaya seemed to know what was going on between her and Asami "I-I don't know what you're talking about. Asami and I are..." Kaya cut her off with a laugh "Don't be so nervous about it Korra, I'm not one for spreading tales and I wouldn't do that to Asami even if I were."

"But you might do it to me if you were that kind of person?" Kaya shook her head "No, no, you misunderstand me, it would make more sense if I explained my relationship with the Sato's. I've known Asami's mother Yasuko since we were children. After she married Hiroshi, she asked me to come work for them on this estate. The money was good and it was a better life then what I had in the city. I was there when Asami was born, but I was out in the city when the Agni Kai Triad paid a visit and Yasuko was killed. I can never truly take her place, but I've done my best to be a second mother since then, it's what Yasuko would have wanted. And now her father's gone and I'm the closest thing she has to a parent."

Korra tried to interject with an apology but Kaya cut her off again "Don't apologize, you couldn't have known, you didn't meet me until the last couple of weeks. But back to what I said before, my little not spreading tales about Asami line. I see her as a daughter and I'm proud of the woman she's become even if I don't agree with some of her choices." She glanced at Korra ever so slightly as she finished speaking.

Korra sat down in one of the chairs folding her arms "You don't like me very much do you?" Kaya shook her head "I haven't made my mind up yet. Asami cares for you a great deal and I respect that, but I don't care for some of the decisions you've made."

"And which decisions are those exactly?" Kaya sighed slightly "Kuvira. She killed Hiroshi during the attack on Republic City and you saved her life according to the stories. Asami may not hold it against you, but I don't understand why you let her live. Hiroshi was a good man despite the things he did with the Equalists and he didn't deserve his fate." "How much has Asami told you about that day?" "Not much, she doesn't like to talk about it, only that Kuvira killed him during the battle."

Korra glanced to the side unsure of whether it was her place to relate this story before deciding to go ahead and worry about it later. "Kuvira's mecha suit was made out of platinum so that it would be immune to metalbenders. Our only option was to cut a hole open so we could get inside. Varrick's hummingbird flyer was damaged and crashed during the fight, Hiroshi was piloting the other one. We tried to keep Kuvira from being able to stop him, but her suit was too powerful. Hiroshi knew he wasn't going to make it and he ejected Asami before it happened. But he stayed because he knew it was the only way to stop Kuvira and he died a hero."

Kaya lowered her head towards the floor but Korra could see some tears flowing anyways. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I'll come back later." Kaya shook her head "No no, come here." Korra stood up and hesitantly made her way over. The avatar stiffened slightly as she was abruptly hugged "Thank you for telling me what happened. It still hurts that he's gone, but this helps."

Korra gave it a minute before she gently pushed Kaya's arms down "I know you said you were mad about me letting Kuvira live, but it's not like she isn't being punished. I don't know where they put her, but she's spending the rest of her life locked in a hole somewhere. In some ways, that can be worse then dying."

Kaya backed up as she dabbed at her eyes "Maybe, maybe not, but that's a debate I'd rather not get into. You came here to manage your hair right? Give me a few minutes to settle down and I'll take a look."

Korra sat back down and waited quietly as Kaya took her time putting her scissors back together and was overly fussy about the already clean salon before she composed herself.

Sensing that Kaya was ready to move on from the previous conversation, Korra tried for a change of pace "So why do you sharpen your tools by hand? Asami could build you a machine that does it a lot faster couldn't she?" Kaya shook her head as Korra stood up and started taking off her clothes "She actually did that once, but using blades sharpened in a machine feels wrong. My tools are an extension of me in a way. Sharpening them by hand lets me get the grain just right and lets me do a better job. Asami says it's all in my head, but I insist on doing it my way. So do you want to keep the strip or are you looking for a change."

Korra shrugged slightly "I'll stay with the strip for now and the hair on my head looks like it's getting uneven, can you fix it?" Kaya glanced at it briefly before pulling on a pair of gloves "That's simple enough to do. So, same thing as before, shower, bath and we can get to it." "Why do you make me take a bath if I was just in the shower?" "The shower is for you to clean up and a short soak in a bathtub makes a person more relaxed then they would be otherwise."

As Korra sat in the bath, she couldn't help but asking a question that had worked it's way into her thoughts "You said something about Asami's inclinations, what do you mean by that?" Kaya laughed "You know exactly what I'm talking about, the whole ropes and restraints that she's taken up in the last few years. I'll admit it's not something I approve of, but it seems somewhat harmless when the people involved are willing. It does seem strange as far as I'm concerned, but Asami's a grown woman who can make her own choices."

Korra's face turned a crimson shade of red at the realization that other people were aware of what she and Asami had been doing. "So is it just you...or do other..." "Other members of the staff? There's a few who are aware that Asami's had several different partners these last couple of years, but nothing more then that."

Kaya glanced over, a knowing look on her face. "Ah that's what you're worried about. That rumors about the Avatar will spread causing a scandal. You needn't worry about that with the staff who work for the Sato's. Some of the cheaper staff would spread rumors, but that's part of the reason they never get very far in this industry. Discretion and maintaining your employer's privacy is something taken very seriously among us."

Korra must have had a surprised look on her face since Kaya laughed "You seem surprised again. Don't tell me, I want to guess." She looked at Korra intently for a moment "You're surprised by the idea that's there's an industry of professional staff." "I-well yes, who chooses to be a servant to someone else?"

"I'm not going to call you spoiled, but perhaps you simply haven't been exposed to the real world so much as you think. Being the Avatar puts you into a circle of society where such things don't occur to you because you're not used to thinking about it. You're accustomed to being surrounded by the rich and powerful whether they're police chiefs or world leaders. While they may run the world from up high, they're also held up by all the people they're in charge of. Not everyone can be the president or the Avatar, but someone has to make their bed, do their laundry, cook their food. How often do you do these things yourself?"

Korra fell into a contemplative silence at Kaya's words. Ever since she had started staying at Asami's estate, she hadn't been paying attention to any of those things very much. She had done it in the past though, particularly while living in the southern water tribe. It was actually surprising how easy it was to get used to other people handling chores for her and a bit unnerving that she hadn't really noticed it until now.

"Hello? Korra, wake up. You've been in there long enough." She jumped slightly as Kaya shook her shoulder interrupting her reverie. "Ah sorry, give me a second to dry off." An hour or two later, Korra found herself sitting on a balcony staring out at the trees. Kaya's comments about staff had given her something to think about, but she was more troubled by the idea that someone had an idea of what she and Asami had been doing the previous night.

"That's a pretty serious look on your face, what's wrong Korra?" Asami was standing in the doorway. "Kaya knows, about us and about what happens in that room down there." "She does yes, but she's not one to let that bother her or cause issues about it."

"I know, I know. She said as much herself...it's just...the idea that someone knows about that, it felt embarrassing. I wouldn't say I'd ashamed, but it's not something I want people to know. And then there's the...the movers. I know Ginger made a big deal about them helping women, but I've been sitting here and I don't see how they possibly could."

Asami sat down on a nearby chair "You have a point, Ginger never did say how this was supposed to help anyone, just that it would. You think she tried to trick us then? She did claim to be a spy, deception would be something she's accustomed to if that's true. What would be the point though?"

Korra shook her head "I'm not sure. Blackmail, could be money – the movers we filmed would make someone quite a bit of money. She might actually think this would help people somehow, but can't explain how." Asami rubbed her chin "So, I take it you don't want the movers to go public then?" Korra shook her head "Not anymore, it seemed like such a good idea at the time, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like a mistake."

"Well, let's see, we could try destroying the film, but there's no way of knowing if copies exist..." She rubbed her chin some more "Give me some time to look at the contract Ginger gave to me, there are some possibilities but it depends on the wording and how Fire Nation law is written."

Asami stood up heading into the room and unlocking a safe in the floor. Korra followed her in curious as Sato started leafing through the pages. After a few minutes she looked up with a half smile "Ginger may have been a successful spy, but she's not very adept at business yet. I'll spare you the legal wording, but basically it works out like this. She put all her focus on what we would gain through filming the movers, those are ironclad. But, Ginger's mistake was that she didn't make any provisions for what was to be done with the movers after filming. I'll have to look at some Fire Nation law books from their embassy, but chances are I'd be able to legally gain possession of them."

Korra gave a thankful smile "I knew you'd have a solution. Still, I wonder how this was supposed to help people." Asami shrugged as she started putting the contract away "I think that's something only Ginger can answer. I have to ask though, are you sure you want to risk making an enemy of her? If she does have the Fire Lord's ear, she might be able to make trouble for us."

Korra shrugged dismissively "She could try, but I doubt she's any more dangerous then what I've faced in the past. Let me know what you find out." She couldn't resist giving a teasing smile "I'll make sure this is worth the trouble Mistress."


	19. Chapter 19

Asami left for the Fire Nation's embassy after lunch. Korra had offered to help, albeit halfheartedly. Asami had merely laughed "You don't want to spend all day pouring over legal documents, you'll go crazy after an hour or two."

Instead she made her way down to the room that Asami had prepared for her. The dummy was lying on an elevated wooden platform that was surrounded by a few inches of water on every side. The whole thing was shaped roughly like a person with their arms stretched out. The whole thing was made out of wooden planks nailed together and there was some kind of water tight material stapled to the inside as well.

Korra pushed on one of the planks testing it's strength, the board shifted slightly but not very much. The avatar smiled slightly, she wouldn't call the workmanship poor, but Asami must have rushed to put this together so that Korra would be able to use it. Knowing Asami, it'd probably be made out of stone or metal the next time she came down here though.

She turned her attention to the dummy itself. It appeared identical to the ones Katara had trained her on when she as younger. A series of lines were carved into the mannequin's skin, a representation of the body's chi pathways. Korra bent some of the water out of the pool and settled it into one of the shallow trenches. She directed some of the water's energy into the dummy itself and was rewarded by the area glowing brighter in response.

Turning away, she looked around for the healing book before realizing she had forgotten it up in their bedroom. She muttered annoyed to herself before going to get it and bringing it back to the healing room.

She leafed through the pages briefly, there were some diagrams spaced throughout demonstrating hand and arm movements for various techniques. There were only a handful of those however. Korra frowned at that, what good was a book on healing that didn't teach very many techniques?

She flipped back to the front of the book looking for the author's name. She started skimming through the foreword. _In memory of my husband, Avatar Aang._ Katara, the woman considered to be the world's best healer, had written this book. When had she written this? A book about healing from Katara would be an enormous deal with healers everywhere.

Korra turned back to the beginning of the foreword and noticed a small piece of paper that she had missed before. She picked it up and turned it over. '_Asami told me that you had expressed an interest in studying healing again. It's nice to hear that you're showing an interest in it now. I remember how trying it was for you to study it when you were younger. I'm afraid that I don't really have any new techniques that I can teach you . You may not realize it, but you learned as much as any of the healers who live in Republic City or either of the Water Tribes. The best healers are born, not made._'

She furrowed her brow considering the note. So, if it wasn't a question of learning more advanced moves, what then? Korra set the note back into the book before turning back to the beginning of the foreword and starting to read.

Her initial appraisal was fairly spot on, there was little discussion of techniques involved. Instead Katara had put her emphasis on two areas. The first was diagnosing the injuries involved, a simple enough concept though somewhat more difficult in practice. The material about identifying injuries was fairly straightforward. The second area was considerably more esoteric.

There was no discussion of techniques or moves involved at all here. Everything was purely theoretical and focused on understanding on how a person's chi and their energy was affected by various kinds of injuries. Scattered throughout the pages were references to injuries and impairments that Katara had encountered throughout her life. They ranged from simple burns on her hands to rarer situations like trying to undo chi blocking or the effects of Amon's bloodbending. Katara didn't include any names, but she recognized herself in the reference to Amon.

After getting through the section on chi/energy, the focus shifted towards using the dummy to simulate the more advanced problems that Katara had come across. To Korra's surprise, that was what all of the pictures she had seen were about, how to recreate those problems on the dummy for practice. There weren't any real techniques at all in the book. She flipped to the end to see if there was some kind of explanation for what a solved problem would look like. Nothing, so she would have to use her own judgment to see if the 'injuries' had been fixed or not.

Korra looked through the problems presented. Burns, abrasions, cuts were all simple enough. Stab wounds could be interesting, she had never dealt with those before. Katara had even included a problem about chi blocking but with the note this was a problem that hadn't been solved yet. She flipped to the stab section to start off.

Several hours later at the embassy, Asami sighed to herself as she set another book back onto the shelf. The search had been fruitless so far. According to the librarian, these books were the most up to date compilation she would find and there was nothing about movers anywhere.

She heard someone else enter the room as she pulled out the next volume and turned back towards the table. Asami started slightly "Oh. General Iroh, I didn't expect to run into you here." He shrugged slightly "I've been staying at the embassy since I got here, I was looking for a new book to read."

"Is that so? Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Iroh stepped forward handing her a note as he continued talking "Since the railway to Ba Sing Se was built, there's been an influx of their writings. It's interesting seeing how their stories differ from the ones in the Fire Nation."

Asami glanced down at the note he handed to her. '_Invite me to your estate for dinner,we have things to discuss.' _She glanced around the room for a second confused before looking back at Iroh. He gestured at the note silently. "You should tell me about the differences sometime. How does dinner sound? I'm not sure what your schedule is like, tomorrow, perhaps next week?"

She threw the last question out, curious about the matter. He gave her a slightly annoyed look that didn't match up with his voice "Well, I was thinking of heading back to the Fire Nation if I don't find this particular book. How does tonight sound? I know it's short notice and all..."

She shrugged slightly in response. "All right then. I guess I can take you back to the estate once I finish up here." He moved up to stand next to her and took the note back. "Fire Nation law? I didn't think that would be of much interest to you." He ignited the piece of paper from its center letting it burn until the middle was gone. He crushed it in his palm and stuck the remains in his pocket.

She frowned slightly as he did so then looked back at the shelf "Well, I figured I should get an idea of Fire Nation laws because of the contracts I've landed." He nodded slowly "An intelligent decision, though if you need any advice on the matter, I'm sure I could point you in the right direction." She gave a small smile "I'd like that. But I think I've had enough law volumes for today. I'm sure my lawyers can handle the rest. Do you want to come with me now or can we send a cab for you later?" He shrugged dismissively "I might as well come with you since you're already here."

As they got in the satomobile, Asami gave him a significant look and opened her mouth to start talking. Iroh was quick to cut her off in a low voice "Later. For now get us to your estate." She scowled, irritated at the man's behavior, but shifted gears and started driving.

When they arrived, she got out and folded her arms after shutting the door. Turning, Asami shot a glare at Iroh across the car as he did likewise "Well, what's going on?" Iroh shifted slightly looking somewhat apologetic "I'm sorry if this seems odd, but there's a good reason for everything. We need to go find Korra first, it concerns her as well." "Well okay then, but I'm not sure where she is at the moment. It's a big mansion."

Asami stopped one of the maids to ask about Korra. "She's been in that healing room you set up miss, ever since you left. I'm not sure if she's left the room at all." Asami smiled slightly "All right thank you. Oh and please tell the cooks that the General." She waved at Iroh "Okay, follow me, she's on one of the lower floors."

As they approached the room, Iroh glanced around "Is there a bathroom I can use anywhere?" Asami glanced down the hall and pointed "Take a right turn and it'll be the second door on your right." She turned and entered the room as Iroh headed off.

Korra appeared intent on the dummy's pathways as she moved her arms and hands about. Asami walked slowly to stand behind the avatar as she continued bending the water. She didn't understand exactly what Korra was doing, but all of the lines were either brightening or dimming as the water flowed from one spot to another. Suddenly all of the pathways went dark at the same time as the water ceased glowing. Korra hit her thigh in frustration "Aagh, I thought I had it that time."

Asami moved forward to sit on the platform as she slid her arms around Korra's waist. "Almost had it huh? I'm curious, what were you trying to do?" Korra jumped somewhat, startled by by the sudden surprise "Aaah. Don't do that, you scared the crap out of me." Asami winced "Sorry, I thought you heard me come in. I wasn't trying to surprise you." Korra took another deep breath then shook her head "It's all right, I'm just frustrated with this right now." Asami glanced at the dummy before resting her chin on Korra's shoulder "So what are you trying to do?"

The avatar waved her hand towards the book "There's a section in there talking about trying to heal someone who was chi blocked or had their bending taken away by bloodbending, they're surprisingly similar. This is just a dummy, but Katara tried to recreate it on the dummy as a way to study it. No one's ever cured it with water bending yet, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I haven't really gotten anywhere with it though."

Asami started laughing "That seems just like you. A problem no one has ever been able to solve and you think you could do it in one day?" Korra frowned at the dummy "I'm the Avatar, I should be able to do anything. I just have to figure out how." "Now that sounds more like the confidence I've always admired in you."

Asami glanced at the pool for a second "So, this pool, I wanted to give you something better then this, but I didn't have much time to put it together. So sorry if it's looks shoddy or any-." Korra cut her off with a kiss "It's fine, I know you would have built something better if you had the chance. And it means a lot, thank you."

Asami glanced at the pool as Korra started relaxing and leaning into her. "So, did you work on anything besides trying to restore bending?" The avatar shrugged slightly "I read the book and did some stuff with stab wounds, but that's not something I'm worried about. Metal weapons are almost useless against me and benders don't really bother with them anyways."

"Well, you might not be worried about it, but you should improve it anyways. You're always better off improving your abilities." Korra nodded as she wrapped some of Asami's hair around her finger "How did it go at the Embassy? Find anything about the movers?"

There was a cough at the door. Korra and Asami both glanced up startled. Iroh was standing there "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, but I think you forgot I was here." Asami blushed as Korra's gaze turned back to her "Ahaha – um.. yes. I ran into Iroh while I was there and we're kinda having dinner tonight now."


	20. Chapter 20

The sudden awkwardness in the room was palpable. Iroh looked uncomfortable at having to interrupt their conversation and Asami appeared sheepish at forgetting to have mentioned it. Korra was annoyed at Asami's forgetfulness and nervous that he might have heard her asking about the movers.

Asami coughed once "I suppose I should have mentioned it, but it was a spur of the moment decision. We ran into each other at the embassy while I was looking through their books..." She trailed off at the end before glancing at Iroh, her expression demanding an explanation.

The general reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small metallic box with an antenna sticking out from one side. He walked towards the center of the room before flipping a switch and setting it down. "I know I came off as being rude and pushy earlier, but this conversation isn't one we could have in the embassy."

The engineer in Asami made her crane her head forward looking at the device "What is that, some kind of radio? It's not big enough to have very much range." Iroh smiled slightly "Very perceptive, it is a radio device, but a specialized version. It broadcasts out a static signal over a short distance, any radio devices in that area wouldn't be able to operate."

Asami let go of Korra as she stood and walked over picking the device up and started examining it "How much ground does it cover?" Iroh looked at her slightly amused as she looked like she was about to take it apart "About 20 feet or so. I'm told it emits the signal in every direction, like a ball but with the device at the center. But that's not important right now, we need to talk without anyone being able to listen in Miss Sato."

Asami set the jamming device down reluctantly "So that's why you wouldn't say anything at the embassy? What's going on? You're being rather paranoid right now." Iroh glanced at Korra for a moment, but the Avatar merely folded her arms saying nothing. He stood up and started pacing "Where to start? Do you remember what I said when you were asking me why I asked Korra to dinner?"

Asami cast her thoughts back thinking "Um, you mentioned retiring from the military, getting married and you said something about politics." Iroh stopped pacing and put his hands behind his back. "After Zuko became Fire Lord, he has continually had to deal with internal factions loyal to his father. Even today, there are still noble houses and other groups who disagree with the path that Zuko and my mother have taken."

Iroh paused and Korra took the opportunity to chime in "What does this have to do with me or Asami? We're not involved with Fire Nation politics. We visited for a few days then left." Iroh shook his head and sighed slightly "You may not have been involved before your visit, but you've become the centerpiece of the current struggle. I know you've had experience in dealing with leaders from the other nations, but our politics are rather different. I may sound arrogant, but plays for power in the Fire Nation are more subtle then the other nations."

Korra's frown slowly grew deeper as Iroh continued speaking. He was right about sounding arrogant. She made little effort to hide her rising irritation "We're the centerpiece? How are we the centerpiece of anything regarding the Fire Nation?"

The general sat down on the floor in a cross legged pose. "I'm not entirely certain to be honest. My mother has given me some hints about what's going on, but her hands are tied for some reason and she has no room to maneuver. I'll tell you what I'm aware of and I hope you'll fill in the blanks for me."

He took another deep breath "The leader of the current opposition is a woman named Ginger. She was a -." Korra interrupted him "A spy, sent to steal secrets for the Fire Nation. She told us that herself." Iroh glanced at her "That much is true, but there's more to it then that. No one is quite sure who her parents are, but most people believe that she's the bastard child of some noble."

Asami interrupted here "She told us her parents were farmers." Iroh shook his head "A lie she tells, but one everybody accepts in public. Being seen as a peasant is less damning to the nobles then being the result of some lord's dalliance. She was left at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls and raised as a servant at first. I'll skip over the details, but she proved herself a prodigy and was unofficially allowed to join. Later she was sent to steal secrets and technology from Republic City."

"As for how you've become involved, that began as you were docking in the city. The man Asami spoke to alerted their side that the two of you were here. The attack at the restaurant, that wasn't the Red Lotus. It was a local group of hired thugs who made the mistake of underestimating what you're actually capable of."

Iroh tugged at his collar for a second suddenly looking uncomfortable "I have to admit to being guilty of playing a political game here as well. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all politics on my part, but being seen in public with the Avatar at the Forgotten Dragon, that was a message on it's own. After that, there was a second assassination attempt at that firebending academy."

Korra opened her mouth, startled, to speak but Iroh cut her off. "I heard about what you said, you thought it was because he never lost a sparring match. But everyone loses sparring matches, and who throws lightning because of that? He was trying to kill you, very few people are able to redirect lightning. It's usually lethal when used."

Iroh switched his leg's positions before continuing "Now I know you were awarded a number of important contracts for my homeland and that's the center of Ginger's plan. If she can control Asami, she gains control over the Fire Nation's entire infrastructure and could use it to pressure Izumi and myself to step aside and let someone else take the throne. The pieces I'm missing are how exactly she plans to control Asami. I know the two of you met her and Izumi briefly and that you've visited one of her buildings several times. What I don't know is why."

Korra and Asami gave each other a long look, both looking chagrined and ashamed. Korra pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms. Asami was quick to rush over embracing her and started speaking softly enough that Iroh couldn't hear her.

Asami looked up after a couple of minutes "So say Ginger or one of her supporters becomes Fire Lord, what happens?" Iroh grimaced "Then the hundred year war starts again, but it'd be far worse then before. The three of us have seen the things that have been invented or discovered since then. Planes, airships, mecha suits, lava bending, explosives, Kuvira's giant robot, spirit energy weapons. The world would be left in ruins if the nations started fighting again."

The sheer gravity of his words hit both woman hard. They exchanged another look before Korra spoke up meekly. "Blackmail. Ginger's plan, it has to be blackmailing us into doing what she wants." Iroh waited for her to elaborate but spoke up when Korra remained silent.

"Blackmail you with what?...oh of course, I see now. You mentioned movers when I was at the door, I suppose it makes sense. It's how she got to where she is now, that must be how she's trapped Izumi as well. I know this must be embarrassing for you, but I have to ask. Are they of you two or is it that you simply watched them?"

Korra glanced to the side, her face scarlet "They're of us, it's why Asami went to the embassy. We changed our minds and were looking for a way to get a hold of them...so that they wouldn't get out."

Iroh was silent for a moment, his face looking overly neutral "I see. Well, it's already been done and it's not for me to lecture you on life. The question is how we deal with this now. Trying to get them through a legal loophole won't work, these movers are too important to her plans. It's a safe bet that she's already made copies and has them hidden away somewhere."

Korra frowned as she remembered something "But she's been in at least one of those movers herself. How can she be blackmailing anybody else with them?"

Iroh almost laughed. "It may seem strange to you, but she's gotten away with it thus far because she's still technically a commoner. The expectations for nobles are different. That's why she targeted Asami, she wouldn't be able to keep blackmailing the nobility if and when she joined their ranks. As for you Korra, you must have been too tempting for her to resist during that meeting."

Asami raised one hand to her chin "What are we supposed to do then? If the contracts are the key, I could sell them to someone else like Varrick or Cabbage Corp. It'd hurt Future Industries, but that's better then then war you've described."

Iroh rose to his feet picking up the jammer as he did so "Maybe, but you'd have to look at the contracts you signed. She might have thought of that already. And I'll be honest, I don't have an answer right now. But I'm going to keep looking." "And if we don't find one, what then?" Korra asked.

Iroh sighed slightly "Then I hope our side has enough support to win a civil war. It'll be messy, but it's better then the alternative. And for what it's worth I'm sorry the two of you have gotten entangled in this affair, but it's better you hear about it from me then someone on the other side." With that he flicked the switch and walked out.

Korra put her face back into her arms, her remorse rising back up as tears started to run down her face "I'm such an idiot. Film these scenes, it'll make things better for women. And I believed her, how could I be so stupid?"

Asami pulled Korra's face into her shoulder and lowered her cheek onto Korra's head "Don't be so hard on yourself. There's no way we could have known what kind of person she is. And if this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I was pushing you the entire time we were there. You wouldn't be on the hook if I hadn't done that, it'd just be me."

Korra sighed and fell silent letting Asami's words sink in as the other woman held her. Everything had seemed so simple yesterday and now it had been turned upside down. She grabbed onto Asami's lapels hoping to absorb some of the poise that she always had. "So...what do we do now?"

Asami shook her head slightly "I'm not sure, this entire thing came up so suddenly, it hasn't even begun to hit me yet. But we've dealt with things just as awful as this in the past, this is just more personal then what you're used to. And I do know that we'll be able to face it together, right?" She reached down lacing her fingers through Korra's as she spoke.

The avatar looked up and gave her a watery half smile "Right." She looked down at the ground "How do you handle everything so well? I'm trying not to break down right now and you don't seem upset or even worried at all."

Asami shook her head "I wouldn't say that I handle everything well as you think, I've just learned that I can't let things overwhelm me. There's time and places to be upset about things and there's times when I have to mentally push it aside and keep moving forward. As for this mess with Ginger and the Fire

Nation, I'm not sad about it. If anything, I'm angry that I – sorry, that we got caught in such a bad predicament. If I had seen this coming, then I would have turned her down and none of this would have happened."

Korra squeezed her hand "Even you couldn't have predicted she'd try to use those movers to gain power and start a war. She had everyone fooled about who she was from the very first moment any of us met her, Varrick, Bolin, me, you. I never thought there really was anything to her until that meeting with Izumi."

Asami tried to give a smile in response to that"You're right Korra, but what I don't understand is why she would want to start a war." Korra shook her head "I don't know why. Money, power, land, she hates the other nations. It could be any number of things. I'm not going to worry about the why right now. I think figuring out a solution and stopping her is more important."

Asami stood up holding a hand out to Korra "Are you hungry?" Korra merely shook her head as Asami pulled her to her feet. "The staff said you've been here in since lunch, you should eat something even if you're not hungry. Come on, I didn't get much to eat either." "What about Iroh?" "I'll talk to the cook, she'll find something suitable for him. Maybe some of those travel rations from the airship, he was a bit rude at the embassy..."


	21. Chapter 21

Iroh paid them a surprise visit the next morning as they were eating breakfast in the dining room. He approached the table after Korra waved him over. She gestured at a chair with her fork, her mouth full. Iroh shook his head and remained standing as he pulled out his jamming device turning it on.

Korra had a difficult time not laughing as he did so and she failed at keeping a small smirk off her face and out of her voice after she swallowed her food. "So did you think of anything last night?"

Iroh shook his head "I've been looking for a peaceful solution since this began, but I haven't had any luck so far. There is a rather simple solution and it's one that past Avatars have commonly used. If you killed Ginger, then this whole problem would go away, her faction would fall apart and the threat of war is over."

Silence fell on the room as his words came out. Both women stared at him shocked at how casually he suggested murder as a solution. Korra shoved her chair back from the table and started to stand, her anger blindingly obvious on her face. Asami acted first however, grabbing the back of Korra's pants and pulling her back down into her chair. Her voice was neutral and diplomatic, but there was no mistaking the iciness in Asami's eyes. "That's a most unusual request General Iroh, but we'll take it under consideration."

She picked up a small bell ringing it. A servant was quick to enter the room "Yes Miss Sato?" "The General is leaving us this morning. Would you call a cab so he can head to the city? And show him to a waiting room as well." Iroh's expression gave nothing away, but his posture stiffened and his stride forceful as he left the room jammer in hand.

After he left, Korra turned towards Asami, her face still smoldering "Why did you stop me? I was going to give him a piece of my mind." Asami sighed slightly "I know, I feel the same way, he shouldn't have asked you to do that. I stopped you because we can't risk offending him. We've gotten caught up in a dangerous game and right now, he seems like our only ally."

Korra laughed "You were trying not to offend him? He seemed pretty angry at getting thrown out like that." Asami reddened at being called out on her lack of tact "It wasn't a nice thing to do, but he can't just walk up and ask you to kill Ginger like that, even if it would prevent a war."

"And why not? The Avatar's duty is to the people of the world. If killing a single person would keep hundreds or thousands of people from dying, then it's worth it?" Asami and Korra both looked towards the doorway hearing Kaya speak. Her usual lighthearted smile was gone, a more serious look taking it's place.

Korra looked at Kaya before getting up and moving to stand next to a window. She turned away for a moment, partly looking at the floor and partly at Kaya. "I'll find a peaceful solution, I'm no killer." Kaya started to reply, but stopped seeing Asami shake her head and wave her hands gesturing Kaya away.

Asami turned back towards Korra "I'm sorry about that, Kaya's always been rather...open with her opinions on some things." The avatar rested her arm on the wall and leaned forward looking at the estate grounds through the window. "She blames me for your father's death, we spoke about it yesterday. She didn't say so, but I see it now. If I had stopped Kuvira outside of Zaofu, then the war would have ended then and the attack on Republic City would have ended."

Asami stood moving over to Korra and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kaya doesn't truly believe that, not deep down. When my mother died, it hit her really hard, she's never completely gotten over it." She hesitated before plunging onwards "And now that my father is... gone, it's gotten worse for her." "And you're not responsible for what Kuvira did, we both know you did everything you could to stop her."

Korra shook her head dismissively "If I had -." Asami stepped in closer turning Korra away from the window to face her "It's not your fault. Kaya might complain about some of your choices, but she was never out there fighting. I was, I know what you went through and I don't blame you for anything, including my dad."

Korra let out a deep sigh of relief upon hearing the last bit "That means a lot, I've wondered about it, but I've always been afraid to ask." Asami wrapped her arms around Korra pulling her into a mutual embrace.

The two of them stood in silence for several minutes looking out the window at the view outside. Asami felt Korra's hands start to gently caress her, slowly roaming up to her nape and down onto her hips. She tried to swallow as her mouth started to dry up and her pulse quickened at the sudden realization of how warm the avatar's body felt pressed against her.

She placed a finger under Korra's chin lifting it to look her in those blue eyes "Right now? You timing could use some work." Korra didn't respond, instead opting to drop to her knees and softly press her lips against the front of Asami's pants.

She closed her eyes as Korra nudged her legs apart and moved her mouth further in. Asami curled her toes and let out a quiet sigh as she felt a nuzzle against her sex through the layers of fabric. Korra's voice drifted up, needful and hungry "Please?"

Asami moaned as Korra continued nuzzling and started to plant kisses around her crotch and the inside of her legs. A small knot began to form inside her stomach as Korra lavished more attention to her pelvic region while starting to gently squeeze both of her bottom's cheeks.

She gave in as the avatar started unfastening her pants. She reached down pulling Korra to her feet before she could get the button undone "OK, let's go." Korra pulled Asami body's into hers as she crushed their mouths together. Asami her growing lust beginning to overwhelm her as Korra started kissing her neck. "Not here Korra. Let's get to our bedroom."

Korra's arms slipped away leaving Asami free to move away towards the door. She could feel the avatar's gaze burning into her backs the entire time however. Upon entering their bedroom, she spun around transitioning into her domme mode. "Shut the door then get down on your knees."

The avatar stopped short in her tracks as Asami's sudden shift in demeanor caught her off-guard. Asami smiled inwardly at how quick she was to recover though, looking almost meek as she knelt on the carpet. "So tell me pet, what should I do with you right now?" Korra hesitated and looked at the ground, her nerves getting the better of her.

Asami knelt down on one knee sliding one hand under her shirt and up to Korra's breast. As she began gently massaging, she coaxed further "I can tell you want something, go on. Say it." Korra shook her head "You can do whatever you want to me first, but can I ask something if I do a good job mistress?"

She pulled her hand out and stood back up considering Korra carefully "OK pet, I'll play along, but if you disappoint me, then I'm punishing you tonight." Asami looked at the hatch in the floor as she ran through some possibilities in her head. "All right, here's what we're going to do. First, take off your clothes. After that there's a container with a striped red lid under the sink in the bathroom. Eat one of the pills in it then come out once you've finished. After that we begin."

Korra stood up and flashed a half smile towards her mistress as she pulled her clothes off and tossed them to the floor. Asami remained standing where she was watching as the avatar's lovely curves were exposed to her gaze, one part at a time. She couldn't resist stopping Korra as she headed towards the bathroom and lightly sliding her fingers along the nude woman's crotch. Korra trembled ever so lightly at the touch before Asami stepped away "All right, on with you."

Asami made her way down into the lower room to gather some items while Korra took care of matters in the bathroom. She placed several of them into a bag before heading back upstairs. She started undressing as she waited, by the time she had gotten down to her panties, Korra had come back out. She gestured at her last piece of clothing and put a hand on her hip as her pet finished undressing her.

Korra took the opportunity to plant a quick kiss onto Asami's inner thigh before being ushered onto the bed. Asami pulled out a long strip of black cloth from the bag and scooched over to Korra. The avatar looked at it, curious to what it was being used for before Asami wrapped it around her eyes and tied a knot at the back of her head.

She turned her head from side to side before stating the obvious "I can't see anything through this. Why am I wearing this? I don't get to watch you?" Asami smiled even though Korra couldn't see it "Not this time pet. Since you can't see, your sense of touch feels more sensitive then it usually would."

She reached between Korra's legs lightly gliding fingers onto her sex and giving a soft squeeze to demonstrate. Korra's hips rose into the air and she gasped, startled by the difference. "So you asked me for a favor earlier right? Well we're making a game of it now. If you win, I'll give you whatever you ask. And if you lose... well you'll see what happens this evening." Korra swallowed, images of Asami punishing her with the vibrator again running through her mind. "What – What do I have to do?"

Asami reached into the bag pulling out a pocket watch and winding it. "I have a stopwatch here, it's set to go off after ten minutes. All you have to do is not have an orgasm for that long." Korra smirked "But I'm not tied up and I have my bending. What's to stop me from running away or just holding you down?"

Asami pushed Korra back down onto the bed and crawled atop of her, her hair cascading down and brushing against Korra's face "I could do that if I wanted, but I don't have to, the true restraint is in your head. You won't do any of that because you're exactly where you want to be. This is what you want me to do to you." Korra's mouth opened and closed giving away her surprise even though her eyes were hidden.

Asami moved her thumb to the button on top of the watch "Time begins...now." She leaned down softly pressing her mouth to Korra's. Korra started to reciprocate in kind, but quickly realized it was a small mistake and tried to pull away. Asami didn't let her escape so easily, pulling Korra's bottom lip into her mouth and gently biting down on the skin underneath before letting go.

Her kisses began to slowly journey downwards an inch or two at a time from her lips onto the neck to shoulder then inwards along the collarbone. Asami paused to brush her hair out of the way before turning her attention to the two lush mounds beneath. She ran her tongue up along one breast before circling the nipple and ending with a gentle flick to the stiffening bud.

Korra unsuccessfully tried to hold in a murmur as Asami repeated herself on the other breast. Asami laughed "I heard that pet, I hope you're not starting to weaken already. We just got started." Korra's fingers curled partway into a fist before relaxing as she retorted in a bored sounding voice "That was just a yawn, it's so nice and dark in here. I might take a nap since nothing's going on."

Asami smirked at the sass as she glanced at the stop watch. How had it been three minutes already? She was moving far too slowly to win this. Time to get a move on. Moving away from Korra for a moment, she reached back into the bag looking for her next items.

Korra could feel some minor tremors in the bad as Asami crawled away from her. A brief rustle from the bag was followed by the sound of a lid being unscrewed. She jumped reflexively in surprise at the touch of wet fingers. They were covered in a gel that they meticulously slathered onto her, spreading her folds and rubbing it all over.

"You're using lube? What's the matter? Don't think you can get me wet enough on your own?"

The fingers withdrew then returned with a slap just hard enough for a gentle rebuke "Now now pet, you don't need to worry about that. You should be thinking about what I'm going to do to you tonight after you lose."

Korra yawned loudly and stretched her arms towards the wall her head was pointing at "Blah blah blah. Clock's ticking, you shouldn't waste so ." She cut off in mid-sentence as she felt an object start sliding into her vagina. All of her attention turned southwards while she figured out what it was from purely tactile sensations. Korra couldn't tell the length very well, but it was slender, round and covered in noticeable bumps everywhere.

She groaned as it started slowly sliding back and forth of her. After a few strokes though, it started to rotate in half circles either direction as it glided in and out. Korra felt her breathing hasten and began moaning despite herself as the toy began moving faster and faster.

Realizing she was beginning to lose, she started trying to distract herself. One, two, three – those bumps felt amazing. The first step to healing someone was to figure out what the problem was. They could have burns, dull impact injuries or maybe they had something in-between their legs, pumping at a frenetic pace.

Korra felt herself teetering on the edge, she tried to pull back but it was too late. She groaned one time, her hips briefly lifted off the bed and the wave rolled through her. She took a few deep breathes and pushed herself up onto one elbow. "Well, that was it...did I win?"

"Almost, another thirty seconds and you would have had it." Korra sighed and dropped back down onto the bed disappointed about being beaten and apprehensive about what lay in store for her that evening. "Can I take this blindfold off now?"

"Not just yet. I've changed my mind, I figured that losing our little contest is punishment enough for you today. I'm actually giving you a reward since you didn't try anything even if you were free to. Roll over and get onto your knees." Korra slowly adjusted her position wondering what Asami had planned. When she felt those wet fingers start working at her other hole, she realized it immediately. A soft smile ran across her face and she glanced backwards despite the blindfold. "Don't be as rough as last time... and thank you mistress."


	22. Chapter 22

Asami waited for Korra's second orgasm to begin before lying down on the bed and pulling the avatar's back against her. She wrapped her arms around Korra's stomach feeling her lover's body shake as the climax rushed through her. Gradually her body stopped quivering and her breathing slowed down leaving a satisfied smile in its place. Asami reached up with one hand untying the blindfold and pulling it off.

Korra reached back and pushed on Asami's hip with one hand as she moved forward to pull the strap-on out of her. After, she inched backwards letting Asami spoon her once more. Neither of them spoke or moved for some time, content to enjoy the moment for what it was.

Asami wrapped a lock of Korra's hair around her finger and rubbed her thumb against some of the ends. "So, this is starting to get long enough to work with, have you been thinking about what you're going to do with it?"

Korra ran her hand backwards through her hair "I'm not sure yet, I was thinking of letting it keep growing out and go back to what I had before I cut it." Asami let the lock fall back onto Korra's ear "You didn't like the short hair? I thought it was cute." Korra shook her head "It was kinda nice not having to deal with it, but I only cut it to avoid being recognized and I don't feel like myself entirely without it."

Asami nestled her chin onto one of Korra's shoulder, her cheek just barely touching the avatar's neck "So...I have to ask, I'm too curious. If you had won, what were you planning to ask for?" Korra blushed "Umm... I lost, so it doesn't matter now." Asami laughed "Don't be like that, you know you can tell me anything, what is it?"

Korra hesitated for a moment before plunging forward blurting it out in a rush of words "I wanted to use one of those strap-on's on you, or least some kind of toy. You've been doing all these amazing things to me and it feels like I'm not giving anything back. I guess that's part of my role as your sub, to have things done to me, but you matter too. I should be returning the favor or doing something that satisfies your needs."

Asami gave a slightly forced smile after Korra shifted about and turned onto her other side so she could look Asami in the eyes "It's nice to hear you thinking of me, but seeing the expressions on your face, hearing the sounds you make, feeling you shudder...that's reward enough for me."

Korra frowned "There's something else isn't there? You didn't complain when I used my mouth on you, you even asked for it the first time we had sex. What is it?" Asami looked away for a moment, a somewhat chagrined look on her face "I...It's...I've fingered myself when I've masturbated and other people have done the same thing to me, including you, but I've never actually let someone actually penetrate me. The idea of it has always scared me for some reason, I've never figured out why."

"Never? Not with Mako or when you first got into bondage, you were a sub at first weren't you?" Asami shook her head "I did fool around with Mako, but we never got far enough to consider having sex. As for when I was a sub, that didn't last very long and I always used my safe word whenever my domme tried to put something in me. I think that's part of why I stopped being a sub."

Korra reached over putting her hand on Asami's cheek "I'm sorry, I didn't know this was an issue for you. I wouldn't have suggested it if I had. We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Asami shrugged dismissively "You didn't know because there wasn't a reason for it to come up before now, it's not something I like to bring up. Anyways, let's get cleaned up, I need to get in touch with my second at Future Industries today. I have to take a look at our current plans for the Fire Nation railways."

Korra spent some time working out in one of the gyms then taking another shower. Just as she was leaving, one of the servants came up to her holding a written note. "Excuse me Miss Korra, there's been a message from President Raiko's office, he said there was an matter requiring your attention. They said that Miss Sato has already been contacted and left it at that. Do you need someone to drive you to the city?"

Korra took the note glancing it over but there wasn't any more information on it. "No I'll take Naga, she could use the exercise." As she headed into the city, she wondered what Raiko wanted with her and Asami. The last news she had heard was that he was working on expanding Republic City and handling the refugees, both from the city and all the people that Kuvira had locked up. Many of those had refused to stay in the Earth Kingdom and Korra couldn't blame them after what had happened.

As she rode through the streets, she saw a disconcertingly large number of people camped out in alleys and on sidewalks. She had heard there were a lot of displaced people, but seeing it in person still bothered her. The worst part about it was that she knew she couldn't do anything to help them. The city had plenty of empty buildings they could stay in, but most people were afraid of getting anywhere near the Spirit Portal.

Asami was waiting outside of Raiko's office when Korra arrived at City Hall. A secretary sitting at her desk stood then moved to Raiko's door opening it and sticking her head in. Asami looked up as Korra walked in "There you are, Raiko wouldn't begin until you arrived. Did he say what this was about?" Korra shrugged "I don't know what he wants, the message I got just said Raiko wanted to speak to us and that he had already contacted you." The secretary pulled the door open as she turned towards the two of them "President Raiko will see you now."

Korra followed Asami into the room shutting the door behind her before turning to look towards the President. To her surprise, there was a plainly dressed man already sitting in the chair. He gave the two of them a sidelong glance, but said nothing.

"Avatar Korra, Miss Sato, thank you for coming. I don't mean to be rude, but allow me to skip the pleasantries. I have something I'd like you to take a look at." He slid some photographs and a pair of documents across the table towards them. "Is any of this familiar to you Miss Sato?"

Asami reached down picking the pictures up flipping through them "Some of these look like the schematics to an electric circuit. They're incomplete though, the circuit is open, there's something missing." She handed the pictures to Korra and turned her attention to the documents. Korra lifted an eyebrow, all she see saw were numbers and some squiggly lines that didn't mean anything to her. There was a gap missing though. She dropped the pictures back onto the desk as Asami continued talking.

"A component list? Copper for wiring, carbon resistors... plant material? Who uses plants in a circuit? That doesn't make any sense, plants are a terrible choice, unless you're hooking a light bulb to a potato. Is this some kind of joke Mister President?"

The president looked at them for a moment before shaking his head "I'm afraid not. These pictures were obtained from a research lab in the Fire Nation. I believe that they are trying to recreate Kuvira's spirit energy weapons." Korra put a hand onto her chin "That's impossible though, it was all destroyed. There's nothing left for them to copy or recreate."

The other man in the room shook his head "That's true, it was all destroyed, but the people who helped create the spirit energy devices are still around. They may not have Varrick or Zhu Li, but as you can see, they have enough information to figure it out."Asami crossed her arms "And where exactly did they get it from? Varrick swore that he'd take what he knew to the grave after everything that happened."

"They got it from me, Varrick and Zhu Li designed the devices, but I was the one manufacturing and assembling their early prototypes. After I heard a rumor that Varrick had blown himself up, I took my notes and fled. Kuvira didn't make any effort to find me, she had Baatar Jr and Zhu Li. After getting back to Republic City I was contacted by someone from the Fire Nation saying they were interested in the technology as an energy source. It's why I was working with Varrick on it and I wanted to get as far from Kuvira as possible so I said yes."

Korra scowled "And just how far did you get in recreating this whole thing? If the Fire Nation has spirit energy weapons, we're all in trouble." "I'm not sure where they're at now, they were months away when I left. It was just like Kuvira all over again, they started trying to weaponize it."

Asami turned back towards Raiko "So why bring us here? You could have sent us a message or called us on the phone." "I've been in contact with the other world leaders and we've all agreed to hold a convention regarding spirit energy technology here in Republic City. Each nation's leader will be present including delegates from some of the Earth States. Varrick and Zhu Li will also be attending as well. I'd like to invite you to help represent Republic City Miss Sato and you should be present as well Avatar Korra."

Asami and Korra exchanged a surprised glance before Asami broke the sudden silence "Of course, it'd be a honor, but still, you could have sent a courier with this invitation." Raiko turned away from both of them "My goal with this convention is to set up an international law banning anyone from pursuing spirit energy, we all know how destructive it is. The problem is that someone in the Fire Nation - most likely Izumi, is already after it."

"I intend to bring this up, but our only proof is in this room, these photographs and Chou's testimony. I need to keep him safe until he can testify in front of world leaders. No one will be willing to stand by and let the Fire Nation acquire spirit energy weapons. The city isn't safe right now, too many refugees on the streets and people keep arriving every day. I know asking you to be a bodyguard might be insulting, but you're more capable of protecting Chou then anyone Korra."

Korra glanced at the man sitting down "Whose Chou? You? We weren't introduced." Chou shrugged awkwardly, looking uncomfortable "That's me, just a tech from the Earth Kingdom."

Asami glanced at Chou briefly before looking back at Raiko "How long until the convention Mister President?" "The first meeting will be in a week here at City Hall. And one more thing, I've asked General Iroh to help guard Chou as well."

Korra stiffened as soon as she heard Iroh's name "Iroh? Why not Mako? You had him guarding Prince Wu." "That would have been my first choice, but he's still recovering from the battle with Kuvira. His burns haven't fully healed just yet. I'm sorry to cut this meeting short, but there's a lot of preparations still to be done. Thank you for your assistance, both of you."

Iroh was waiting for them at the main lobby, his posture looking somewhat rigid. "Miss Sato, Avatar Korra, President Raiko has assigned me to help you until the meetings are over. Do you have a plan?"

Asami glanced at Korra, she had crossed her arms and was staring daggers at Iroh, still angry about being asked to kill Ginger. "We can go to my estate, my father installed a panic room when I was younger. We can keep an eye on him there. Did you ride Naga here Korra?"

The Avatar nodded still not wanting to open her mouth and risk something impertinent coming out. "OK then, head back to the estate. Iroh you'll ride with me. And I'm sorry about this Chou, but we're sticking you in the trunk so nobody sees you with us in the city."

It was somewhat cloudy that day, but Asami lowered her car's canopy anyways. The wind rushed into the cab, swirling about them as she spoke in a low voice. "Is it true? The Fire Nation is researching spirit energy?"

Iroh remained silent for a moment "Ginger's supporters are yes. Everyone in our nation saw movers of Kuvira's cannon in action, having it would give them a huge edge if they got the war they want."

Asami shook her head in disbelief "That's pure insanity. Do they really think Korra would let them get away with it? That cannon may have been powerful, but it still wasn't a match for her. I honestly don't think there's anything that can defeat her now. They wouldn't have a chance." "I'll admit that's true, but Korra can't be everywhere at once and there is one thing that can stop her. You."

"Me." "Yes. Korra will listen to advice when she's uncertain, but she prefers to do things her way and worry about consequences later. People like Tenzin or her father failed at stopping her from being reckless in the past. But it seems like she listens to you regardless of the situation, if someone wanted to influence Korra, they would do it through you."

"So this all comes back to the movers we filmed. She wants to force us to decide between our reputations and letting the Fire Nation have spirit energy weapons. That's a foolish move, Korra won't think twice about it. Ginger is doomed if she goes down this road." Iroh rubbed his chin "Maybe, but she's bound to have something else planned as a backup."

Korra waiting for them at the estate. Being able to cut straight through the forest let her arrive first. "So Naga's gotten familiar with everybody who lives or works here. If she smells anyone new, she'll let us know won't ya girl?" The polar-bear dog wagged her tail as Korra pulled out some treats for her to munch on.

Asami glanced at Chou as Iroh let him out of her car's trunk "One of us should stay with Chou the entire time he's here. We'll do it in four hour shifts. I'll put a cot in the panic room for you to sleep on Iroh." Iroh nodded "That's fine with me." Asami started walking off waving them to catch up "Come on, it's this way." Korra watched them walk off and ran a hand through her hair. This was going to be a long week.


	23. Chapter 23

Asami volunteered for the first shift guarding Chou. She shut the panic room's door behind her and pushed on a thick lever locking the metal door shut. "Are you sure I'm safe in here Miss Sato? That door looks heavy, but it's still metal. Metalbenders can get through that in no time."

She shook her head "The outer layer of the entire panic room is three inches of solid platinum. My father had this place installed when I was younger and he wanted it to be as secure as possible. He was rather...paranoid at the time, there's rations for a month in the next room along with a radio transmitter. If anyone tries to break in, help will be on the way before they can get in. We're perfectly safe here."

Asami crossed her arms, a frosty look on her face "Now then. Your work with spirit energy in the Fire Nation. I want to know everything. Where did you get your materials from? Who did your manufacturing? How are they weaponizing it? Making another giant cannon? Explosives? Scaled down versions of the beam weapon?"

Chou started to back up looking scared at Asami's change in demeanor "I'm not telling Future Industries anything. Spirit energy is too dangerous for anyone to be trusted with." His back hit the wall as he finished talking. Asami reddened, she had gone into domme mode on accident. This whole spirit energy business was bothering her more then she had realized.

She coughed into one hand "I'm sorry, I'm giving you the wrong impression here. I don't have any interest in trying to harness spirit energy. I know what it can do, I was there when Kuvira attacked Republic City. But we have to know how close the Fire Nation is to making an operational weapon.

Chou gave a sigh of relief as Asami stopped menacing him. "When I was working for Varrick, I helped build the devices that transmit electricity into the vine itself. My general understanding was that the resulting spirit energy release would be transferred into some kind of battery."

Asami rubbed her chin thinking "But there's too much energy from the vine for the battery to handle so it would overload and head towards the path of least resistance. That explains how the cannon worked, but Varrick must have redirected the spirit energy in order to make a bomb. Ah sorry, I'm getting off topic. How far along is the Fire Nation?"

Chou shrugged slightly "They understand all the general concepts. Electrocute the vine, store the energy into a battery which ends up firing a shot. Right now, they're stuck on being able to make the components they need. Fire Nation metallurgy is decades behind Republic City and the Earth Kingdom. Having metalbenders makes a huge difference. If I had to guess, I'd say they're a month or two away from being able to create a weapon."

Asami relaxed visibly "Well, at least we don't have to worry about that for the moment." She held up a small box "So do you play pai sho?"

Korra headed back to the gym after Asami had taken Chou to the panic room. She sat picked up a medicine ball and sat down on the floor, her knees in the air. Twisting her body from one side to the other she started touching the ball to the floor on each side.

"Excuse the interruption, but I'd like to talk to you if I may." It was Iroh, resting a long leather bundle on one shoulder. She set the medicine ball down and rested her elbows on her knees "OK, I'm listening."

Iroh set his bundle down on a bench before sitting next to it. "I wanted to apologize for my manners the other day. I've been in the United Forces for a long time and soldiers can be rather ….impolitic at times." Korra gave a short laugh "You're apologizing for bad manners but not asking me to kill someone?"

"I'm trying to apologize for that as well, but try to understand it was because of your position as Avatar. You and Avatar Aang, even Avatar Roku are somewhat unique compared to Avatars in the past. Aang refused to kill but compare him to Avatar Yangchen, the previous Air Nomad Avatar. She was so feared that there was a lasting peace after her death. Avatar Kyoshi had a similar reputation during her life. Avatars killing someone to maintain the peace has actually been the norm. I didn't realize that asking this would offend you so badly. I'm sorry for the insult."

Korra remained silent for a minute thinking it over. Eventually she rose to her feet "Well, if I can forgive Kuvira for the things she did, then I can certainly forgive you." Iroh got to his feet bowing at the waist slightly "My thanks Avatar. Let's see if you can forgive my curiosity on something."

He picked up the bundle untying a knot on one side. Part of the leather fell downwards exposing four hilts. "A test if you will, your bending prowess is well known and my mother said you were trained in unarmed combat by the White Lotus. But have you ever used a sword or something like a spear?"

Korra reached over grabbing one of the hilts and pulled it out, her interest piqued. "I've trained to fight against people with weapons, but you're right, I've never used one myself." She swung the blade through the air experimentally a few times. The weapon was made of wood except for a metal circle as the cross guard. "This feels a lot heavier then it looks. What kind of wood is this?" "It's not the wood, our sparring swords have metal cores to make them heavier. You get more of a workout and you can't go full speed so there's less chance of injury "

He pulled another sword out handing it to Korra hilt first "These are called dao blades, you use two of them at the same time. My grandfather Zuko taught me how to use them, I'm not as good as he was, but I know enough to teach the beginning lessons. There's two key concepts to keep in mind, most of your attacks will be cuts or slashes, there aren't very many thrusts. The other is to attack with one blade while using the other to defend against any counters or ripostes." He picked up the other two swords "Let's begin."

A question struck Korra afterwards "Wait, where did you get the swords? Those aren't ours." He laughed "I had them delivered by a courier from the city. I knew this is where you would bring Chou. Are you interested in continuing? You can't master any weapon in a week but it can't hurt to keep going. That and it gives me something to do while I'm here." Korra looked at the dao she held in her hand, slowly rotating it "Well, I don't think I'll ever use this, but you're right, it gives us something to do. Why not."

Iroh glanced up at a clock on the wall "I didn't realize what time it was." He sniffed at an armpit "Wish I had time for a shower, but I have to go relieve Asami." He put the swords away before heading off. Korra glanced down at her shirt, it was covered in sweat from the sword-fighting lesson. She was going to have to go shower and change yet again. This was what, the third time today?

As she started picking out some clothes to wear, she heard a faint sound. She looked up from the drawer and looked around. She heard it again, a little louder this time, coming from the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and a light was on inside. Moving as quietly as she could, Korra crept over to the door, slowly pushing it open and looking in.

Asami was sitting on the floor, her pants and underwear pulled down to her ankles. Her face was beginning to flush, eyes closed, lips parted ever so slightly and one hand down between her legs.

Korra relaxed, she had been expecting an intruder of some kind. Looking to surprise Asami, she moved forward sitting down behind her. "You could have asked me for help with that this morning you know."

Asami jumped in surprise and scrabbled across the floor turning to face Korra. Her face went scarlet as she tried to pull her pants up, embarrassed. "Ah...Korra. You snuck up on me. I was just..." The avatar laughed "Why try to hide it? We both know what you were trying to do. Why didn't you ask for anything this morning? If you need release, you know I'm more then willing to help."

Asami sighed and looked at the floor "I know that. You do try... the thing is that you haven't succeeded." Korra's face fell as the words sank in "What are you talking about Asami? You've had orgasms with me before. Our first time together...or after the sybian."

Asami shook her head "I'm not saying I didn't enjoy myself, but I faked the orgasms... I didn't want you to feel bad. But I've started feeling guilty about it after our conversation this morning. I was going to bring it up once I figured out whatever my problem was."

"Was I doing it wrong? I've tried to imitate the things you've done to me Asami, if I'm not doing it right or I'm not good enough, you should tell me." She shook her head "No Korra, your performance is fine. I don't know what my problem is yet, but it's not you. It's all in my head."

They sat in silence for several minutes before Korra spoke. "If I'm wrong, don't be offended, this is just me guessing. Your mother was killed when you were young, your father became an Equalist and was thrown into prison, you lost Mako to me...all things you had little to no power over. Your issue is you want to be in control of everything that happens to you. Masturbation works for you, but when it's someone else, you struggle."

Asami recoiled slightly before replying, her voice sounding indignant "And what about you? Any insights you want to share about why you're a sub, why you like the things you do?"

Korra glanced down at her shoes "I've known I was the Avatar since I was four. Being the Avatar means you're the single most powerful person alive. Villages, cities, nations, everyone respects or fears you. Respects and fears me. My decisions affect everyone and everything. I left the spirit portals open and brought airbending back into the world, how that changes things in the centuries to come, I don't know. But it will."

"Why do I like being a sub? Why did I let you take my bending that night? It's surrender, I'm giving someone power over me. When my bending was gone and I was strapped into that chair, I was completely in your control. You could have done anything you wanted, I was completely helpless and it was one of the best nights of my life."

Asami opened her mouth to reply before pausing then standing up. She pulled her pants all the way up and fastened them shut before starting to walk out. She stopped at the door placing one hand on the frame "I need some time to think. We'll talk about this after I think things through."


	24. Chapter 24

Korra watched Asami disappear through the doorway. She raised a hand momentarily thinking of calling after her, but nothing came to mind. Nothing that wouldn't sound patronizing or condescending. Korra sighed dropping her hand back down. She glanced at the bathroom's frosted glass window for a second. The sun must have set while she was training with Iroh, it was dark outside. Iroh would be staying with Chou until the morning then.

She flicked on the ceiling fan before turning on the shower to wash all the sweat off. It had been an interesting workout to say the least. Trying to control not one, but two blades at the same time would tax anyone's coordination. And that had been just doing basic forms while Iroh watched and repeatedly corrected her myriad of mistakes. It was also a good thing she was using training blades Korra had to admit. Some of those bruises on her thighs...well you won't learn anything by bleeding to death.

Korra turned the shower off before grabbing a towel to pat herself down. She stretched her arms, working out in the gym that morning, riding Naga and Iroh's lesson. Too much for a single day, at least with her current conditioning. Her fitness routine had been getting lax she decided. Not enough time in the gym since returning from the Spirit World.

That could wait for another day, right now she just wanted to get into the bathtub and relax before going to bed. Korra eased her way into the tub until she was up to her chin. She sighed feeling the hot water begin relieving the languor in her arms and shoulders. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the tub's edge as the heat traveled inwards through her skin.

Republic City glittered in the sun, ruins and intact buildings alike. She was standing on one of the taller buildings still left standing near the spirit portal as she looked towards the ocean. Behind her she could hear mayhem in the streets as cars and people raced towards ships in the harbor or to the train stations.

Ever so faintly, she could hear a buzzing sound that gradually grew louder. Specks on the horizon appeared and grew larger as the biplanes flew towards the city. Korra took in a deep breath as she entered the Avatar State. She started hurling flames at the approaching aircraft. To either side of her, she could see additional flames, rocks, ice spikes and slivers of metal all follow suit from other buildings.

Above her airbenders and biplanes of their own flew past moving to intercept the attackers as they scattered apart flying every which direction. Korra heard a whistling sound coming from above her and looked up. Metal cylinders falling from the sky in every direction. Tides of purple rushing out from where they landed. Korra watched them disintegrate the buildings before them. And that sound, it was one she had hoped to never hear again. Something hit the roof beside her. It began vibrating and sparking. A flash of purple-.

Korra lurched forward spilling water over the tub's sides and onto the floor. Her chest heaved as she gasped in air and she felt sweat trickling down her neck. "Just a dream. That wasn't real." She glanced around for a moment. She was still in the tub not on a rooftop. Korra pulled one hand up to her face, the skin on her fingertips was as wrinkled as it could get.

The light had been on when she had gotten into the tub, but now it was off. Asami must have seen she was asleep and left her there. She got out and started drying off before heading to bed. Asami was there, but facing away from where Korra slept, near the edge. Korra tried to get in quietly, but she was sure the other woman was awake, but choosing to be silent. She looked up at the ceiling before closing her eyes and trying to fall back asleep. It was long in coming though, images of the nightmare running through her mind.

She didn't see Asami the next morning before grabbing some food and heading to the panic room. Korra rapped her knuckles on the door and yelled "It's Korra, open up. I'm taking over." She waited a minute before banging on the door harder "Iroh, open the door already."

There was a clunking sound and the door opened a crack "That you Korra?" She muttered to herself "Yes it's me, open up already. I'm taking over for now." Iroh shoved the door open "Sorry about that, you can't really hear people through this door. Asami and I decided on a knock so we know it's safe to open the door." He tapped the door as he spoke "It's an easy pattern. One knock, pause, three knocks, pause, one knock."

Korra nodded "That's fine with me." She headed into the room and set her food tray down before closing and locking the heavy metal door. She turned towards Chou "Here's some food for you. I don't know if you ate much yesterday." He shook his head as he grabbed a sandwich and started greedily devouring it. Korra started nibbling at her own sandwich, her thoughts still focused on the dream from last night.

"Hello? Can you hear me over there?" Korra turned towards Chou, her musing interrupted "Ah sorry, I was thinking about something. What is it?"

"What's it like? Being the Avatar and all? I'm not a bender myself, no one in my family is, never had anyone I could ask about it. I'm curious, do you feel anything when you start throwing fire and rocks around?"

The question caught her by surprise. What did it feel like to bend the elements? "I'm not really sure how to explain. It's not something I've ever thought about. There's techniques you learn and that lets you control the elements. After a while it becomes second nature, you just do it without thinking. Its like... it's something like riding an animal. You pull on the reins a certain way and you go where you want. But you can do it wrong, like pulling on the reins too hard and you get thrown off."

"I guess that makes sense in a way. It's just odd to think about is all. You throw a punch and fire comes out or you freeze water. I wonder if we'll ever figure out what actually allows some people to be able to bend the elements."

Silence fell over the room as Korra found herself lacking any kind of response to that. Chou waved his hand dismissively "Just something I think about occasionally. Anyways, do you play Pai Sho? Nothing else to do in here. I asked Asami for some books or a radio yesterday."

The games all played out oddly. His choices and decision making were odd, she wasn't able to make much sense of it. He played defensive when she was expecting aggressive moves. His attacks and were even more peculiar, going for less valuable pieces, ignoring her White Lotus tile altogether. And he never showed any kind of pattern to his positioning, every opening was different.

After another easy win, Korra had to ask "Are you even trying? You haven't won a single game, you've never even seriously threatened a win. You know how to play this right?" He shrugged "I'm trying to solve the game, not beat you."

"Solve the game? What does that mean?" "It's a field of mathematics. The idea is that there's an optimal strategy in every game. And if you use that strategy, either you win or force a draw. I'm trying different openings and angles of attack to see where it gets me. I actually had a fascinating conversation with Miss Sato about this yesterday. She argued there's too many possible moves in Pai Sho and you can't calculate optimal play. I'm beginning to think she's right."

Korra folded her arms, a half grin on her face "Um OK. I don't think it's working though. I've beaten you pretty badly every game so far." She lost the rest of the games they played after that. When her shift was up, she heard the pattern of knocks that Iroh had mentioned.

Asami was waiting outside as Korra opened the door for her. She was holding a few books in one hand and a basket of food in the other. Korra tried to say something but Asami merely shook her head and walked past. "I know you asked for a radio, but there walls in here are too thick for the signal to get out." "What about the radio transmitter in the other room?" "That's connected to a wire that runs outside. I might be able to hook a receiver to it now that you mention it, but I never spend any time in this room so it hasn't occurred to me before."

She turned around to face Korra "The chefs are making lunch right now. You should go get something to eat." Asami pulled the door shut and locked it. Korra scowled before walking away.

The next five days settled into a routine. Shifts where she read some novel or lost at Pai Sho to Chou. He had stopped trying to solve the game with her and was crushing her without mercy. Asami continued to dodge Korra whenever she tried to talk and apologize. Getting ignored quickly grew tiresome and she slowly gave up. Asami would have to come to her whenever she decided it was time.

The biggest difference was in her lessons with Iroh. He was still able to disarm her at will, but she was making him work longer each time. She came close to almost hitting him a time or two as well."You've made good progress for such a short period of time. You won't be able to beat someone with years of training, but this is a good start. What do you think of the dao?"

She considered the blade for a moment "This weapon, it's only good for one thing. Violence. I don't see any other practical use for it." Iroh took the sword and put it back into the bundle with the others "The sword is a tool, it's not good or bad. What it's used for depends upon the wielder. That could be anybody, whether it's a bandit or someone protecting their home and family."

No one spoke about the approaching convention, but it still hovered over them the entire time. Korra stared at herself in the master bathroom mirror. A meeting between the leaders of each nation to discuss Varrick's terrible creation. Her reflection in the mirror disappeared only to be replaced by a city disappearing beneath a tide of spirit energy. She recoiled away from the mirror shaking her head. When she looked back up, it was just her face again.

"Korra."

She glanced up hearing her name. Asami was standing in the door, one hand resting above her head on the doorjamb. The look on her face sent a shiver down Korra's spine. And that outfit, a transparent black babydoll dress that stopped at mid-thigh. Her breasts were bare underneath and her panties looked ready to fall off on their own, the strings loosely tied. She beckoned the Avatar with one finger as she walked backwards into their bedroom.

Korra followed in a slight daze from the sudden change in Asami's demeanor. She was sitting on the bed, her knees spread just enough to give a glimpse. She patted the bed beside her invitingly. Korra felt a warmth beginning between her legs as she sat. "So Korra, you are going to do something for me" purred Asami. She reached behind her picking something up. Four bundles of nylon rope and a strap-on. "You are going to pull my clothes off, tie me down and have your way with me until I come. Mistress's orders."

Korra looked at her for a long moment surprised into silence. Asami looked up at her before whispering quietly "please..."

Korra felt the warmth in her groin deepen as she pulled off her clothes and pushed Asami onto the bed. Her lover kissed her back when their mouths touched, but remained as still as she could while Korra undressed her.

The ropes were easy enough, square knots for each limb. Asami tested each of the ropes before giving a smile meant to be encouraging, but there was still a spark of discomfort in her eyes. Korra picked the strap-on looking at it curiously before fastening the straps into place. "This looks like the strap-on you used in the Fire Nation."

"It is. I wanted a souvenir of our first time together. Maybe it's a bit sappy, but I liked the idea of us using the same toy on each other." "Sappy huh...Well I hope your sap tastes as sweet as that sounded." Asami burst out laughing "That was the corniest thing I've ever heard. Come on, take me already."

Korra crawled up the bed and kissed Asami's lips once more. Going slowly, she trailed kisses and love bites along Asami's neck and shoulders. Her skin was beginning to sweat, leaving a faint taste of salt in the Avatar's mouth.

Moving southwards, she began lavishing her affectations on both mounds. Asami moaned for the first time as beads of sweat began appearing on her skin. One of Korra's hands slid further down between Asami's legs finding it already damp.

Asami moaned again as Korra's fingers toyed with her sex urging more juices to flow. Her back arched and she pulled on the ropes as the fingers withdrew and a mouth took their place. By now Korra's tongue knew which spots to focus upon. She began sliding a single finger in and out as her tongue lapped up some of the juices, replacing the salt with a mild strawberry flavor.

Korra sat up when Asami began panting and positioned the strap-on's tip. Asami bit her lip nervously as it slowly began to slide in. She pulled on all four ropes and gritted her teeth together fighting against her mental block. "I'm all the way in, are you doing all right Asami?"

She looked down startled. Korra was right, she could feel it inside of her. "Keep going, I'm doing all right." Korra moved her hips back and then forward again. A sudden tremor ran through Asami's body and a cry burst from her lips involuntarily.

"That was it. We did it. You did it." Asami's face burst into a beaming smile of relief and happiness. Korra grabbed her face kissing her deeply. She returned the kiss in equal measure trying to pour as much gratitude into it as she could.

After an eternity she pulled her head back. "Again and don't hold back this time." Korra obliged her.


	25. Chapter 25

Asami's second orgasm left her writhing and straining against all four ropes as it ran its course. Korra waited until it was over before pulling out and started untying the knots. As soon as her hands were free, Asami sat up to wrap her arms around the Avatar. She pulled Korra back down and into a long series of kisses. Asami's voice cracked slightly as she tried talking and kissing at the same time "Thank you... thank you... thank you."

After a minute, she reluctantly pulled loose and started untying her ankles. "I need to go use the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute." She slid her legs off the bed and disappeared through the door. Korra looked up at the ceiling for a moment before taking the strap-on off and gathering up the ropes.

Asami came back out by the time she had finished and was looking around for someone to put them. "There's a basket you can put those in over there. I'll deal with those tomorrow morning." She climbed back onto the bed as Korra dumped the items in before returning to Asami's side.

For once, Asami didn't try to spoon her like she usually did. Instead she curled up onto Korra's side, throwing one leg over Korra's hips and dropping her head just below the collar bone. "Thank you Korra, I think that was exactly what I needed." Korra put one arm around Asami so that her hand was resting on her rib cage. "I thought you hated all of that. Being tied up, strap-on's and such."

Asami trailed her fingers along Korra's other arm "Some of that is true, I don't like being a sub and that's not going to change, but what you said earlier this week, it made me think. I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder. I was furious, no one likes the idea of being called a control freak. And you were talking about my sexual identity."

"I was trying to avoid you because I was afraid of saying something that I didn't mean or something that we would both end up regretting. And I knew you were right deep down, but I didn't want to admit it." Korra gave a gentle squeeze as she softly prompted Asami to continue "So what changed?"

"Well, I started trying to reverse our positions. Nothing I've done has ever worked for this, so I asked myself 'What would Korra do?" Asami made a fist and punched the air "If this was a locked door, how would you get through? Pick the lock? Unscrew the hinges? You wouldn't do either, you'd just break it down." "That's not true..." Korra protested halfheartedly. "Anymore."

Asami smirked for a second before continuing "So that's what I decided I needed to do. I had you tie me up and we powered through it. And it worked, but only because it was you, I needed someone I trust on the other end."

Korra lifted her hips and tugged the blanket and top sheet loose before draping it over both of them. "We have a big day tomorrow, let's try to get some sleep." Asami wrinkled her nose "I didn't shower though, I smell like sex still."

Korra gave that half smirk of hers "Nothing wrong with that, it smells...delicious." She lightly pulled on Asami's hair exposing her neck for a love bite. Asami laughed and scooted away "You're awful, you know that right?" "You know you love it Asami."

As usual, Asami was already gone by the time Korra woke up, alarm or not. She glanced at the clock, time enough for a quick shower and breakfast before they had to leave. The ride itself was without incident, though Chou seemed increasingly anxious as they approached City Hall. Testifying about the Fire Nation before world leaders would rattle most people she decided.

Asami parked the car out front before handing the keys to a valet. "Well, shall we ..." Her mouth kept moving but no sound came out. Korra turned to look at Iroh confused, but he wasn't there. Neither was Chou, she swung back towards Asami but she was gone as well.

There had been a giant tree in City Hall since Harmonic Convergence, but now a mass of vines had fractured the building into chunks of debris. Korra turned back around looking out on the city. Everything had changed from what she had seen just a minute before.

The glittering towers of glass and steel had all vanished. In their place was a frenzied tangle of vines and trees everywhere she looked. She could vaguely see where the roads had been through a tangled mat of plants.

Korra took a few steps towards where the street had been. There was a hissing sound from somewhere in the foliage. Leaves and bushes started shaking until a number of grotesque and misshapen creatures crawled out. Fangs, claws, spikes, stingers and too many eyes everywhere. "Defillller, your kind has no place here." They charged as one, eyes glittering with hatred. She tried to bend flames in their direction but nothing happened.

A voice broke through "Korra, wake up." Everything vanished as she lurched up off the couch. Asami was perched by her side, looking worried. Beside her was Tenzin, looking uneasy and Jinora, seeming excited. Asami grabbed her hand "Are you all right Korra? Say something." Korra rubbed the side of her head "I'm..I'm fine. What happened?"

"We were on the sidewalk when you suddenly collapsed to the ground. We carried you in here and called for a healer." Jinora broke into the conversation "You had a vision Korra. I can sense the energy around you, but it feels different then normal."

Tenzin looked at his daughter "What do you mean, different then normal? I don't feel anything." "It feels like the swamp, but it seems...troubled. Korra saw something, but I can't tell what."

Korra swung her legs off the couch turning to face them "Two nights ago, I had a dream. I was on a building near the spirit portal. A fleet of planes flew in from the ocean, we were trying to stop them. Me, airbenders, United Republic soldiers. But there were too many and they started dropping spirit energy bombs on the city. I saw part of that dream again last night when I was in the bathroom."

"This vision was different. I was outside City Hall, right there on the steps. Everything was normal at first, but people started disappearing when I wasn't looking at them. And the city changed too. The buildings were all gone, there were vines and trees everywhere. It was like being in the swamp or a jungle. I started walking around, but I was attacked by some spirits. I tried to bend at them, but nothing happened and then I woke up here."

Asami frowned "That just sounds like a few bad dreams to me. I don't think there's anything more to it then that."

Tenzin shook his head "I don't think so. You said it felt like the swamp didn't you Jinora?" His daughter nodded and Tenzin continued. "The swamp has always been a mysterious place. Few people go there aside from the foggy swamp tribe. Aang mentioned it to me once, he said the swamp called to him and what he saw led him to Toph Beifong when he was seeking an earthbending teacher."

Korra folded her arms and tilted her head to one side "Soooo what are you trying to say? That the swamp is showing me the future? Spirits can do a lot of things, but I don't think that's one of them."

Jinora scratched at the side of her head "I don't think so, this is a vision of what might be. The spirit vines here in the city reacted violently to Kuvira harvesting plants from the banyan grove tree. Other spirits could have the same reaction if we keep trying to use spirit energy. A war might break out if they felt their existence was threatened."

"So in this vision... if Republic City is overrun by spirits and plants, that means we would lose doesn't it?" Asami asked. Tenzin shifted his weight looking uneasy "A war between men and spirits... it's better if we avoid any chance of that happening in the first place."

Korra stood up "Which means we have to keep anyone from getting their hands on spirit energy again. How long until the meeting begins?" "We have about ten minutes to get to our seats." Asami replied.

The meeting started slowly, Raiko welcoming everyone, thanking them all for attending and so on. How could he say so little with so many words Korra wondered to herself. Her gaze wandered through the room as the President spoke.

Raiko was speaking at a stand with a microphone off to one side of the main table she was sitting at. Izumi, Eska and Desna, Tenzin, her father, Varrick and Suyin all sat at the same table as well. The lack of anyone from the Earth Kingdom besides Zaofu surprised her. They were all still recovering from the war, but she had expected to see another representative with Suyin at this table.

All of the benches were filled with various dignitaries, ambassadors and other influential people. She only recognized a few of them, like Wu or General Iroh. She could see scribes sitting off to either side of the pews, typing furiously as the President spoke. Korra glanced up at the balconies, people were standing shoulder to shoulder up there.

Asami was sitting next to Zhu Li in one of the closer benches. _'I guess being president of Future Industries_ _doesn't have the same weight as being the Avatar_.' It still would have been nice to be sitting next to her. Raiko's speech was as dry as sand right now.

One by one, the other world leaders, including Izumi, gave brief statements about their commitment to a ban on spirit energy after Raiko stepped away. Was this how every political meeting went? She was tempted to just leave and let Asami fill her in later. As Tenzin sat down, he looked at Korra and flicked his eyes towards the stand. She shook her head, let others make all the speeches they wanted. She was here to see how Izumi reacted when Chou started testifying.

Raiko returned to the stand "It's gratifying to hear the support of the other nations in outlawing this technology. As a witness to Kuvira's attack on Republic City, I hold no illusions that spirit energy is too dangerous for anyone to possess. While this convention was called with the intent of negotiating an enforcement strategy between the nations, I would like to call one more speaker before we proceed any further. Mr Chou."

Varrick's head turned instantly, the eccentric billionaire looking surprised but he remained quiet for once. Izumi's mouth hardened into a tight line, either she hadn't expected this or didn't like what was about to follow.

Chou moved up to the stand as he placed a piece of paper on the stand. Everything about his posture shrieked of a desire to run away from all the eyes watching him. He cleared his throat before beginning. "My name is Chou. I'm a technician who specializes in advanced electrical circuitry. I spent the majority of my career working for Varrick. I was responsible for manufacturing much of the equipment that Varrick used when he was developing spirit energy as a possible energy source. After Varrick's disappearance, things quickly changed as the project began to get weaponized. When I heard the rumor of Varrick's suicide, I fled the Earth Kingdom to the United Republic."

"While there, I was contacted by a courier carrying a message for me from an unknown party. The message said that they were interested in the work we had been doing and wanted to continue. I was hesitant at first, but they offered me sanctuary from Kuvira and I still believed in Varrick's vision that spirit energy could be a clean power source. So I accepted their offer, but just like Kuvira, the project was weaponized once more and I had to flee once again."

Korra watched the crowd as he spoke into the microphone. His words had a disquieting effect on the audience she noted. And by the end, numerous people were whispering to each other. Tenzin stood up "And if I may ask, who exactly were you working for the second time."

"The Fire Nation." Korra had been expecting an angry reaction, but the sheer volume of the ensuing uproar dwarfed that. The only person from the benches who didn't look outraged was Asami. Chou hurried away from the stand, disappearing back into the room he had been waiting in.

A group of Lin's metalbenders seemed to appear out of nowhere as they lined up between the benches and the table where the leaders were all sitting. Raiko was yelling into the microphone for people to stop shouting and sit down. Izumi remained still and expressionless as the clamor subsided. When silence had returned, Raiko looked at her as she spoke "Do you have anything you wish to say Fire Lord?"

Izumi stood up and walked to stand in front of the table facing the crowd. "As the leader of the Fire Nation, I have no interest in spirit energy technology, as a source of power or for weapons. If what Mr. Chou said is true, then it is the work of dissidents and not sanctioned by my authority."

Suyin's eyes narrowed "Do you expect us to believe you Izumi? Many of the people in this room, including myself, know what spirit energy weapons are capable of. You're going to do better then blaming this on 'dissidents.' I think I speak for the other nations when we demand you let us investigate this matter ourselves."

Izumi shook her head and glanced at Raiko. "Absolutely not. This is an internal matter for the Fire Nation. That is, if this is even true, which I doubt it is. Any interference from the other nations will be treated as an act of war."

Korra stood up "And if it's someone who doesn't represent the other nations? As the Avatar, the peace between the nations is my chief responsibility."

"If you wish to waste your time chasing phantoms Avatar Korra, by all means do so. But I hope you won't be taken in by publicity stunts like this one. Best of luck on your re-election campaign next year President Raiko." With that, Izumi walked out of the council room.

Raiko turned back to the microphone "We will reconvene this afternoon to discuss this morning's events. Until then, this meeting is adjourned."


	26. Chapter 26

Korra glanced at Asami as the audience members began to disperse into groups as they discussed what just happened. Asami pointed towards a door and mouthed 'In there.' Iroh was waiting in the room for them by himself.

Korra crossed her arms looking irritated "Well that couldn't have gone much worse. What happens if your mother doesn't come back this afternoon Iroh?" Asami glanced at Korra then looked at Iroh "Did Izumi just do what I think she did Iroh?"

The general laughed softly "I wondered if either of you would catch on to her little ploy, she's always been rather talented at stagecraft. But yes she did, though it's the most she'll be able to achieve I'm afraid. Ginger won't let her get away with something like that again, she'll have to focus on keeping things from getting any messier after this."

Korra looked back and forth between them "What are you two talking about? She got angry and stormed out? Am I missing something here?"

Iroh laughed "I see you still aren't paying as much attention as you should be. My mother can't let just anybody from Republic City or anywhere else into the Fire Nation to look for the spirit energy lab. There would be an 'accident' and things would spiral out of control very quickly. But on the other hand, nobody would argue if you're the one doing the searching Korra. And she gave you permission to do just that."

Korra thought back to what Izumi had said earlier. "But she called it chasing phantoms and that the whole thing was a publicity stunt by Raiko."

Asami broke into the conversation there "Is she trying to discredit the President? That seems like an odd choice since he was responsible for this event happening at all."

Iroh winced "She's not very fond of Raiko, they've butted heads before in the past. And she's not entirely wrong, Raiko's term as President hasn't gone well for him, too many incidents and unpopular decisions. He needs this convention to succeed if he wants a second term as President. But mostly mother is trying to stall, the longer this convention takes, the more time you have Korra."

Korra took a moment to sift through what Iroh had just told her. "Do you know where this lab even is? I won't be able to find it on my own." The general shook his head "I don't actually. We've been searching, but it's well hidden. It's possible my mother knows, but she can't tell me if she did, Ginger watches her too closely."

Asami looked back and forth between them several times then face palmed. "How are both of you forgetting about Chou? He worked there, we just have to ask him to mark the location down on a map."

Korra hunched her shoulders as she ducked her head, a sheepish expression on her face. Iroh looked slightly bemused "I did forget about him. We'll have to go to the Fire Nation embassy, there are some maps that we can look at before leaving."

Korra straightened her back as she stood fully upright "Leave? What about this convention? This is an important meeting, I'm the Avatar, I can't walk away from something like this."

Iroh gave a quiet laugh "This meeting is more ceremonial then anything. Shake hands, smile for the cameras, let people see you doing something important in public. All the real discussion about this happened weeks ago and it wasn't much of a discussion at that. None of the leaders would dare oppose this treaty, they'd instantly be ostracized by every other nation. The only thing happening here is Raiko trying to secure a second term as President and he's already been called out on it."

"The best thing you can do right now is to go destroy the research lab. The threat of spirit energy weapons will be gone and this will all blow over."

There was a moment of silence from both women before Asami responded "That would solve one problem, but ignores the other. Ginger may lose her chance at getting these weapons, but she won't give up so easily on taking control of the Fire Nation."

Iroh tried to shrug nonchalantly but did a poor job at it "That's true, but this is a more pressing matter. We can deal with her afterwards."

"We?"

"No offense Korra, as powerful as you are, you still need people who can help you. Who can you ask for help? Mako is injured, Bolin is in Zaofu, the Beifongs have to stay here for this meeting even if you don't. Tenzin and Jinora are possibilities, but it was the Fire Nation who wiped out the Air Nomads, they might not be willing to come once they learn where you're going."

"He's right Korra, we can't do this by ourselves. This could be difficult even with just us three, do you know anyone you can ask to help you Iroh?"

"I have a few friends at home that I've been working with. They're all solid benders, but none of them are as strong as the people you've worked with in the past. It's better then nothing at least."

Korra threw her hands up in defeat "All right all right. You two go find Chou, I'll talk to Tenzin and let him know that I'm leaving. He can sign the treaty for me. Let's meet out front afterwards."

The people outside had begun grouping up into small knots as the discussion continued. Waiters carrying drinks on trays wove their way between groups and she could see tables being set with food in the background.

Korra craned her head around looking for her former airbending teacher. After a few seconds, she saw him on the other side of the room talking to the Beifong sisters. As usual, Tenzin looked awkward and ill at ease around Lin. Suyin was barely concealing a smile, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Excuse me Tenzin, can I have a moment?" Korra grabbed him by the elbow pulling him away towards an empty archway next to the wall. He sighed in relief after they had gotten away "You would think that talking to Lin would have gotten easier after all these years."

He shook his head "How can I help you Korra?" She glanced around for a moment, nobody seemed close enough to hear them, but she kept her voice quiet nonetheless "I'm...taking a trip Tenzin. I need you to represent me here while I'm gone."

"A trip? Right now? You can't neglect your duties as the Avatar, Korra. This conference is important to the world, you should be here."

"I know that this is important, but there's something I have to go take care of. I'll explain afterwards if I have to, I just need you to stay here and speak for me while I'm gone." Tenzin gave her one of his stern looks "What am I supposed to say exactly Korra?"

She shrugged and began backing away with a slight grin on her face "Oh you know, the usual. Avatar Korra supports the ban, spirit energy is dangerous. You'll think of something that sounds nice."

Korra heard him sigh to himself as she walked away. He watched her walk away before the Beifongs snuck back up on him.

"Tell you the location ? But I don't actually know where it is, I wasn't really paying attention to where they took me. And when I decided to run again, I just headed for the ocean and walked until I found a boat I could hide on."

Asami felt a sinking feeling in her stomach "Well...would you recognize anything if you saw it then? Landmarks, cities, roads?"

He frowned "I guess so, but there's no way I'm going anywhere near the -." His voice cut off as Iroh abruptly wrapped an arm around Chou's neck squeezing on the sides. He tried pulling at the general's arm in vain before passing out. "What are you doing Iroh?"

"You heard him, he's not going to help us unless we make him. He'll be fine in a few minutes, simple blood choke, won't hurt him any. Let's get to the car before he wakes up." Asami shook her head as Iroh picked him up and started heading down a mostly empty hallway.

Korra was waiting for them outside as Asami handed her parking ticket to a valet outside. "Why is he unconscious?" Asami nodded her head towards Iroh "His bright idea, knocked him out before I could talk him into helping."

"I didn't knock him out really, it's a harmless choke. He'll wake up in a minute or two. And once we're on an airship, he won't have anywhere to go."

The avatar frowned "So we're kidnapping him now? This doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

Iroh stiffened slightly "Well, he really doesn't want to go back to the Fire Nation. I can't blame him, but we need to find that lab. If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it Korra."

Korra shook her head as the car pulled up "No...no I don't. You'll have to make this up to him after this is finished though."

Iroh popped the trunk open and dumped Chou inside then shutting him in. The general turned back towards Korra. "I'm sure he'll forget all ab-."

Iroh was cut off in mid-sentence as the car abruptly exploded into a ball of billowing flames. The back of Iroh's jacket ignited from being so close to the explosion. He staggered forward pulling the jacket off and throwing it to the ground. At the same time Korra flinched backwards throwing her arms up as a wave of heat rushed outwards.

Once the wave passed, she dropped her hands back down and looked about for some water. There was a fire hydrant on the other side of the street. She reached forward seizing the hydrant's metal and ripping it from the ground. A gust of water shot upwards into the air, free for her to use.

Korra pulled it across the street and down onto the burning car, extinguishing the flames. Parts of the vehicle kept smoking and the engine looked like a pile of shredded metallic cheese.

She turned towards Asami who instantly shook her head "I'm fine, worry about Chou." Iroh moved towards the car as if to open the trunk but pulled his hand back before getting close enough to touch the metal.

Korra grabbed the trunk with her bending and ripped it off. The car was beyond repair at this point and she had a terrible feeling about what she was going to find. Iroh glanced in and muttered to himself, but looked unaffected otherwise.

Korra took one glimpse at what was left inside before instantly regretting her decision. She staggered away dropping to her knees as her breakfast started decorating the concrete. Asami knelt at her side putting one hand on her shoulder.

They could hear sirens approaching in the distance as they stared at the car, their best chance of finding the lab vanishing with the smoke.


	27. Chapter 27

The next hour was something of a blur to Korra. She remembered Asami and Iroh speaking to Lin about the explosion. Afterwards, Asami had called a cab to take them back to the mansion. She felt a hand shaking her shoulder "Korra? We're home, we need to get out of the car."

Korra looked up at Asami "What?...yeah, sorry. I'm coming." Asami wrapped one arm around Korra's shoulders after they had gotten out of the cab "Are you going to be all right? You look really shaken right now."

"I can't get it out of my head, I keep seeing his body every time I close my eyes and the smell...it won't go away, it's still there. I've been fighting for years but I've never actually seen someone die before. This is horrible."

"Seeing it for the first time is always hard, but it's something everyone who fights runs into sooner or later. The real test is when you find yourself left without any choice but to take someone else's life. You haven't found yourself there yet, but sooner or later you will."

Korra stiffened at Iroh's words "People always have a choice, no matter what the situation is. There's no such thing as a situation where killing is the only answer. Everyone, including my past lives, told Aang that he had to kill the Fire Lord but he found a peaceful solution anyways. I've gotten by without killing so far and I'm not about to start now."

"Have you? What about those Red Lotus benders? P'Li, Ghazan and Ming Hua. They all died fighting you and your allies. Are you going to say none of that was you?"

Korra shook her head "Mako told me that he killed Ming Hua and that Ghazan killed himself rather then go back to prison. Suyin said that P'Li was gone, but she wouldn't say anything else about it. So no, I didn't have a hand in their deaths." Her eyes narrowed abruptly "You're still trying to get me to kill Ginger aren't you?"

Iroh sighed "I know you don't want to, but it's the simplest solution. Especially now that Chou is dead and we don't have a way to find the lab."

"And whose fault is that? You were the one who knocked him out and put him into the car trunk." Korra was scowling now as Iroh's comments and suggestions began getting through her skin.

"Yes, I put him in the trunk, but his death isn't my fault. The person responsible is the one who planted and detonated that bomb. Don't blame me for this."

Asami had been keeping quiet until now. "The obvious candidate is Ginger or someone working for her. They must have just been after him or we'd all be in the hospital or dead right now. They set it off before we could get into the car."

"I know this isn't going to be easy, but we have to put this behind us for the moment. If Chou has any relatives, we can speak with them when this is all over. Until then, we have to stay focused on the goal at hand. Finding and destroying this lab."

Iroh and Korra looked at Asami as she spoke before glancing at each other "I'll agree to that, but Iroh's the one who has to make this right."

The general frowned, but decided not to argue with the expression on Korra's face. "And do you have any ideas about that?"

"I have one right now, but I don't know enough about the Fire Nation's power infrastructure to say whether it will work or not."

"Our power infrastructure?" Iroh looked confused at Asami's remark. "I don't follow you."

"Yes. You have electricity in your capital city at the very least. How far does the grid spread? Does it extend into the countryside? What powers it? Steam, coal, gasoline, lightning benders?"

Iroh gave her another puzzled look, still not understanding what she was getting at "We use lightning benders. Our power system is actually based off of what Republic City uses. It was an easy choice, we have more lightning benders and it's cheaper and cleaner then the steam and coal systems we used in the past."

Asami gave a small smile "That should make this easier for me then, but it'll still be tricky." Korra folded her arms looking as lost as the general "Mind filling us in with what's going through that genius brain of yours?"

"This is a research and development lab trying to manufacture weaponry at the very edge of what we're capable of right now. I was able to get some information out of Chou when I was in the panic room with him. Everything they're using is manufactured on site except for the Spirit Vines they're using. That means there's a lot of machinery and equipment on site and it all has to be powered somehow. If the Fire Nation isn't using steam or coal, then it's all connected to your power grid and can be traced."

The pieces clicked together in Korra's head "So we find a building that uses a lot of power and that's where the lab is going to be? That sounds easy enough to me."

Asami winced in response "Well, it's easy in theory, but it's a little more complicated then that. Electricity usage is measured at each building that's connected to the grid. And I don't know what kind of meters are used in the Fire Nation. That would affect the quality of the measurements..."

Iroh laughed "OK slow down there, you're starting to lose us again. I don't know the finer details of how our grid works, but I know that the meters are all collected and measured each month before being replaced. We just have to check the records and find buildings where a lot of power is being drawn."

Korra shrugged "That still doesn't sound too hard to me. It's just reading some sheets of paper...oh wait, let me guess. Lots of guards or maybe it's all hidden away in some vault somewhere?"

"Actually neither. Our power records are publicly available to anyone who asks to see them. Transparency and all that, I'm more concerned with Ginger finding out what we're up to and destroying the records before we find what we're looking for. We'll have to let my friends do the searching so we don't give this away."

Korra nodded and turned to the next matter on her mind "That makes sense to me, but can we get to the Fire Nation? It's a lot easier to hide a bomb on an airship then it is a car. A small boat would be safer, but it would take us longer to make the trip."

Iroh shook his head "I don't think we have to worry about that. It's like Asami said, they were after Chou. The two of you are still important to Ginger's plans right now, she'll change her mind in the future once things start going badly for her, but for now you're safe."

Asami ran a hand through her hair "All right, let's stay here for the night then leave tomorrow. I'll get up early tomorrow and check the airship for anything out of the ordinary just in case. You two can call a cab and join me tomorrow when you wake up."

"That sounds like a good plan Asami, but please tell me you'll have something better tasting then those rations you made me eat before. Even army food tastes better then that."

Asami laughed "Those were emergency rations. I only use those in emergencies or for...unreasonable guests. The food won't be that awful this time I promise. Anyways, I need to go to sleep now, try not to be too noisy when you come to bed Korra."

With that she headed off leaving Korra and Iroh by themselves. The general gave her a sidelong glance, a studious look on his face. She turned to face him "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm a little surprised though maybe I shouldn't be. I knew the two of you were involved with each other in some fashion and that you were staying at this mansion. I just didn't realize that you were actually living together. I wasn't aware your relationship was that serious, I wouldn't have been so forward or slept with you if I had."

Korra shook her head "No it's all right. To be honest, it never occurred to me that you were interested until Asami pointed it out. We spent some time talking it over and decided to go ahead with it since I wanted to see what sleeping with a man was like."

Iroh started to speak, but swallowed as he did so, bending over in a fit of coughing. It took him a short moment to recover but he looked decisively uncomfortable nonetheless "I..uh..I see. Well, did Asami tell you why I wanted to sleep with you in the first place?"

"She said you were marrying someone in the Fire Nation and you were looking for a good time before that happened. I don't think it's a big deal, it was a one time thing for both of us."

Iroh sighed in relief, his abrupt tension disappearing "That's good to hear, I was beginning to think that I might have interfered with a relationship I wasn't completely aware of. So there's no hard feelings or regrets about this right?"

"No, it was a fun night for both of us, but that was in the past and we have more important things to be worrying about now. Anyways, I'm going to go get something to eat then go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

Asami was waiting for them at the airship when they arrived. "I've been looking around and I don't see anything out of the ordinary on the ship. I also talked to some of the watchmen who patrol the shipyards and they didn't see anything unusual either, so we should be safe."

She gestured for them to follow her onto the airship and into a storage room. "Now, I know you can do that flying with fire move or use water to catch yourself Korra, but I'm not sure about you Iroh."

The general glanced at the packs in the room "Parachutes? I don't really need one of those, I can use my bending to control myself in the air."

Asami shrugged slightly "If you say so, but I don't want to take any chances either way. I'm also keeping the ship lower then I normally do...just in case."

"Are you sure you're not being too cautious here? I doubt anything is going to happen." Iroh asked her, looking a tad amused.

Asami scowled "I'm trying to prepare for the worst here. I don't want to die because a bomb goes off and I fall out of the sky. And even with a parachute there's things like sea serpents in the water." She shuddered at the thought.

Korra tried to hide a smile "Well, if it'll make you relax for the trip, then it's not a problem for me." She bent down picking one of the packs up. "How do I put one of these on? I've never used one before."

Asami stepped behind Korra as she started adjusting the straps and repositioning the parachute container on her back.

Korra took advantage of Asami being distracted to shoot a look, 'just put one on already' at Iroh. He lifted his hands in surrender before grabbing one himself.

Asami straightened up before donning a parachute herself. "All right, that should be good. Let's get going, it'll take a couple of days to get there. Korra, can you show Iroh where the guest quarters are?"


	28. Chapter 28

Iroh's head looked like it was mounted on a swivel as he followed Korra through the airship. "This feels strange to me, everything looks so...plush here. Are all of Future Industries airships like this?"

Korra shrugged "I'm not really sure, I think this is the most expensive model Asami's company builds though."

"I think I've spent too much time on battleships if this feels alien to me. There's no room for any luxury on those, it's all about using space efficiently. This is definitely something I'm looking forward to getting used to once I retire."

Korra stopped and gestured towards a door "So this is where your room is. Asami and I are one floor up and there's a mechanic and a pilot on the bottom floor. It takes about a day and a half for this ship to make the trip from Republic City to the Fire Nation capital."

She started to walk away but stopped and turned back for a moment "And if you're looking for something to do, there's some books in the lounge." Korra gestured down the hall "It's off that way up the stairs."

Iroh glanced down the hall as she pointed before heading off that direction. Korra waited until he was out of sight before adjusting the strap on one shoulder. Asami had cinched it tight enough that Korra could see a red mark where it was digging into her skin.

It took her some time, but Korra found Asami standing outside on the upper deck looking out over the ocean. She started to walk over to her but was ambushed halfway through by a large furry creature.

"Naga! Where did you come from?" Asami turned towards them, a small smile on her face "I think she must have been getting lonely or tired of being left behind. I found her trying to hide in the engine room this morning."

The polar bear dog whined and licked at Korra's face again. "I'm sorry girl. I've just had too many things on my mind lately." Naga huffed in response but rubbed her head against Korra before trotting off to the deck's edge, her tongue dangling out in the wind.

"Are you doing all right Asami? You seemed kinda ...bossy about us wearing parachutes." Asami shook her head "I'm just worried about things right now. The car bomb yesterday and that dream you had about Republic City being destroyed is scaring me."

Korra put her hand on Asami's shoulder "It scares me too, but we know how to stop that from happening. I'm more worried about the spirits, we have bending now, but the lion turtles are gone. We can't ask them to protect us like they did during Wan's time"

"What are you talking about? Lion turtles? You mentioned Wan once before, was he one of your past lives?"

Korra stiffened in surprise "You mean I never told you about this? I thought you knew. Jinora and Tenzin never said anything either?" Asami simply shook her head looking puzzled yet curious.

"These visions I've had the last few days aren't the first ones I've had. I had one during the civil war between the Water Tribes. I met the first Avatar, a man named Wan in it. I saw how he became the Avatar and what life was like for humans back then."

"We were scattered, living isolated on the backs of the lion turtles. Spirits roamed freely everywhere else. People would travel into the wilds looking for food, but it was dangerous...the spirits could be cruel. Some of the things I saw them do to humans was horrible."

"I've spent time thinking about what I saw back then. As near as I've been able to tell, we didn't always live on the lion turtles. There was a group in Wan's city who had metal weapons. I'm guessing that humans had cities and villages like we do now, but the spirits forced us to retreat to the lion turtles."

Asami rubbed at her chin "And you said the lion turtles are gone now, so we wouldn't have anywhere to hide if the spirits started attacking and we lost. But we have benders, mecha suits and other things. Would we lose with all of that?"

Korra leaned forward as she put her hands on the rail "I'm not sure. We have all that stuff, but what do we really know about the spirits? I'm the Avatar and they're something of a mystery even to me. Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you're all right."

"I'll be fine. Just promise me that you're going to take care of this." Korra reached over taking Asami's hand in hers and squeezing it "I promise I'll get rid of the lab Asami, don't worry about it." Asami gave a hesitant smile in response before leaning her head onto Korra's shoulder as they stood and watched the ocean pass beneath them.

The three of them took the opportunity to relax while they could and the rest of the flight passed by uneventfully. As they started landing, Korra noticed a small group of people standing near their docking area. "Someone's waiting for us out there. Did you tell anyone we were coming Iroh?"

The general looked out the window, a surprised expression appearing on his face "No, I didn't want to call my friends on the phone. I was waiting until I could talk to them in person."

Korra looked out the window again as the airship touched down and turned off it's turbines. All three people were wearing cloaks with hoods draped over their heads. "Well, let's go see who it is, I have a feeling they already know that it's us on this ship."

She headed down the ramp, a mix of unease and curiosity beginning to brew in her stomach. Iroh was behind her while Asami was off letting Naga out through the cargo hold. After her feet left the plank, a gust of wind came through carrying a faintly familiar scent on it. Korra frowned inwardly as she tried to place it.

The shortest of the people waiting for them moved away from the other two and threw her hood back "Avatar Korra, it's ... a pleasure to welcome you back to the Fire Nation."

Korra recoiled a step at Ginger's sudden appearance, dyed red hair and all. The polite thing to do would be to respond, but her mouth felt frozen. She glanced over her shoulder at Iroh, looking for help but the general seemed equally startled.

A slow smile worked it's way onto Ginger's face at their reaction. "Allow me to introduce my companions." She lazily waved one hand back behind her prompting them to remove their hoods as well. Both of them had a tattoo of an eye on their foreheads. It took her a second, but Korra felt a chill when she recognized them as being identical to the one P'Li once had. "This is Wei Xie and Li Kai, some assistants of mine."

"So Avatar Korra, what brings you back to the Fire Nation? I thought you would be attending the convention that Raiko has scrabbled together in Republic City."

Her thoughts froze again and Korra blurted out the first thing that came into her head. "There was a bombing."

Ginger's smile wavered before fading away. The answer clearly hadn't been anything like what she was expecting to hear "What?"

Korra recognized her chance to improvise a cover story and ran with it "Someone planted a bomb on the car that we took to the meeting. It exploded before any of us got in, but Lin Beifong caught the perpetrator. After questioning, the man confessed to being a member of the Red Lotus."

Ginger was quick to recover her poise as Korra spoke "The Red Lotus? That sounds familiar but I can't quite place it."

"They're an anarchist group responsible for killing Queen Hou-Ting. We think they were after General Iroh so we brought him here for his safety."

Ginger frowned at the Avatar as if she were daft "But all of the world leaders are there, why would they go after the Prince? There's more desirable targets there or they could have tried to get everyone at once."

Korra threw her hands up "I have no idea what the Red Lotus is thinking, but Raiko asked me to get Iroh out of Republic City so I decided to bring him here. "

Ginger shook her head as she seemingly held back a laugh "I...see. Well then, best of luck with that Avatar." She turned around heading off into the city.

After they had left, Iroh fixed Korra with a bemused look "Either that was smart thinking or you scared her off with nonsense."

"Ginger's trying to brag about how smart and well connected she is by being here when we landed. If she thinks she's so much smarter then me, I'll play into her hands by acting like an idiot. I don't know how long it'll work, but this gives us some time before she realizes we're going after the lab directly."

Korra glanced back seeing Asami and Naga approaching. "Do you have somewhere we can stay? I don't think any hotels here would be able to handle Naga."

Iroh crossed his arms and put one hand on his chin "One of my friends can put you up. You can stay there while I go visit my friends. Once they find what we're working for, I'll send word. Until then, lay low for a day or two."


	29. Chapter 29

The next two days passed slowly for Korra and Asami. The house they were staying in was opulent enough, but hiding in the basement to avoid being seen was tedious. It was hard on Naga in particular, not being able to go outside left the polar bear dog sulky and irritable.

"Just be patient Naga, we'll be able to go out soon I promise." Korra didn't really know if that was true, but anything to keep the dog from chewing on the furniture again. Their host hadn't said anything, but there had been a few quick glances at the damage already.

Naga huffed in response and turned away, her tail hitting Korra in the head. Asami giggled at the sight "It's a good thing you can fall back to being the Avatar, you're terrible at being persuasive." Asami was lying on a couch nearby, her head resting on her hands.

Korra walked over to the couch before putting her hands on her hips as she looked down at the other woman. "I'm just a bad liar, I can be persuasive when I want to. How do you think I ended up with you?"

Asami looked up at Korra in disbelief before doubling up as she started giggling "Oh is that what you're telling yourself now? I did everything short of grabbing you by the hair and dragging you into my bed to make us happen."

Korra smiled slightly as she lay down on the couch sliding her arms around Asami "Mmm, that sounds like it might be fun." She dropped her head onto Asami's shoulder and closed her eyes. Asami pulled one hand out from under her hair and rested it on Korra's ribs.

The two of them lay there in a complacent silence for several long moments, enjoying the warmth of each others bodies and the stillness of the room. Even Naga seemed content as she started napping. Eventually Asami broke the spell as she looked down at the Avatar. "Korra...what are we?"

Korra opened her eyes, the question taking her by surprise. Various answers ran through her head, mistress and pet, lovers, girlfriends, partners, but nothing stood out as the correct response. She bit her lip trying to figure out how to respond. The silence grew pointed as Asami waited for Korra to say something.

Iroh picked a fortunate time to enter the room, saving Korra from having to stammer through an answer. He had a few leather cylinders underneath one arm and a disappointed expression on his face. "Sorry this took so long, but we didn't have very much luck and decided to keep looking."

Asami's eyes flicked towards Korra for a split second before she got up and moved to sit in another chair next to a coffee table. "You didn't find the lab?"

Iroh shook his head "I'm afraid not, we scouted out all the locations that were using a lot of electricity like you suggested, but came up empty every time. We're back to square one I'm afraid." Asami looked at the cylinders he was holding "What are those?" "Some copies of the maps and records we were using during the search."

Asami tapped her chin for a moment "Let me see them, maybe I'll spot something you missed." Iroh hesitated for a moment before shrugging and spreading them out on the table in front of her. Asami leaned forward looking it over. She looked at the key for a moment seeing what the colored lines and symbols were representing. "This is the capital city here?" She pointed at a central location on the map covering the entire Fire Nation. There were a few smaller ones that showed various cities in more detail as well.

Iroh nodded and pointed at a couple of the other ones "These are some villages and towns to the west, that one is to the south. There's a few places on the islands, but those aren't included in these."

Asami started following one of the backbone distribution lines with her finger. There were a number of spots that had been circled and then crossed out.

She traced one line into the mountains. It had a spots that had been checked but there was nothing at the end of it. "These buildings here? What are they?" Iroh leaned forward looking at the spot she was asking about. "Those? That's an old coal mine that was shutdown a few decades ago. There were too many tunnel collapses and cave-ins so it was abandoned until recently."

He stopped talking thinking that was it, but Asami didn't move her finger as she continued considering the spot. "And nothing has happened there since then? Anything at all?" Iroh frowned considering "Wait...now that you mention it, there was a news article that someone bought the mine a few months and was looking for rare metals in the mountain. It was a joke for a few days then people forgot about it."

Asami shook her head "No, this is it. It's the perfect location, there's nobody around that deep in the mountains. It's directly connected to the power grid's backbone so getting power isn't an issue. And if there's some explosions, they can just say that the tunnels collapsed."

Iroh frowned and started flipping through a stack of paper "But the power meter records are..." Asami shook her head "If you're only using local meters to record power usage, then it'd be easy to fake. Just swap the unit out at the end of each month, maybe they bribe the collectors or edit the records, it doesn't matter. This is it."

Korra got off the couch as she moved over to join them "And what if you're wrong, this could be a waste of time." Asami scowled at her, irked from Korra's lack of an answer earlier "I'm not wrong, all the pieces fit perfectly. The site is there. How soon can we go Iroh?"

He glanced between them, uncertain. Korra shrugged at him while Asami looked determined that she had figured it out. "I hope you're right Asami, but give me an hour to go collect my friends and meet up back here. We can go after that."

After he left, Korra turned back towards Asami "So...who do you think these 'friends' of his are?" Asami shrugged dismissively "He is a Prince here, houses loyal to him, people he grew up with, someone hoping to curry favor, some mix of the above. I don't know how skilled they'll be or if they can be relied on, but I'm going to trust Iroh's judgment here."

True to his word, Iroh was back an hour later with his so called friends. Korra had been wondering what kind of group he would cobble together and how competent they would seem. She only half listened as he introduced them, paying more attention to what they looked like.

A tall bear of a man with a barrel shaped chest holding a guandao stood next to a slender man with tattoos on his face, a bow on his back and arrows in a quiver at his hip. She glanced at the other two men. One seemed too handsome to be a real fighter and the other looked like he had broken too many bones in his face while falling out of a tree. Both had relaxed into the same pose that Iroh used when he was standing around, former United Forces firebenders most likely she figured. The last was a raven haired woman wearing a tight leather outfit that accented every inch of her ample curves.

Korra felt her face reddening from looking at her but couldn't pull her eyes away in time to avoid being noticed. Asami glared at Korra for a second then turned towards Iroh "We can't leave Naga in the house while we're gone, she'll tear everything up. You guys take your cars and we'll meet up a kilometer away from the lab on that ridge to the south."

The ride towards the lab was mostly quiet as Naga loped through the woods. Korra made an attempt at placating Asami "I wasn't trying to dodge your question earlier or -." Asami cut her off, her tone firm enough to dissuade any further conversation "Not now Korra, let's focus on getting rid of this lab."

Korra and Asami arrived at the meeting point first, the others had to leave their cars further away to avoid making noise and hike in on foot. The sun had set by the time they arrived. Korra tossed Naga some snacks and rubbed the polar dog's snout "Wait here until we get back, ok girl?" Her pet gave her a lick and laid down on the ground, looking happy that she was outside again.

Korra crept forward to the ridge's edge and looked down at the buildings below. After a minute she turned towards the others as they joined her "We don't know how many people are down there or how many guards their might be. We'll split up into pairs, one bender per group, and search the place. If you find any techs or workers, try not to hurt them if you can, but get them out of here. Once everyone is gone, we can plant the charges and get rid of this place."

The others nodded before splitting themselves up and disappearing into the night leaving Korra and Asami together. Asami checked her electrical glove one last time before they started moving towards the buildings below.

Korra kicked the door open moving inside expecting an attack at any moment. The lights were on, but the first room was empty. So was the second but there plenty of signs people had been here recently. Coats hanging on hooks, open drawers, papers strewn about, chairs had pushed back, one table even had a half eaten sandwich on it.

"Where is everyone Korra? There should be watchmen even if all the workers are gone. I don't like this, something's wrong here." Korra glanced around, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach "I'm not sure, let's keep looking. Maybe they're just in another building."

The second building was as empty as the first one they had checked. Asami spotted an open door that neither of them had touched before. She peeked through seeing that it led to the parking lot behind the building they were in. Asami started to turn away, but a faint acrid smell caught her attention. "Korra, give me some light over here."

Korra ignited a flame over her first as Asami looked at the ground. There were several skid marks on the ground, all leading away from the building they were standing next to. "It looks like everyone left in a hurry...they must have known we were coming. This has to be a trap Korra, we need to leave. Now."

Korra shook her head and pointed up to where the mine itself was "I'm not leaving until this lab is gone and it's not much of a trap if we know it's coming. The lab must be up there, let's go." Asami sighed to herself as Korra started heading towards the mine entrance, but followed anyways. She wasn't about to let Korra try and do this without any help.

There was a sizable building at the mine entrance that looked like it extended into the mountain. Korra was heading straight for it, but she was staying off the road, instead opting to move up through the trees.

Like before, the building was empty of anyone. There was plenty of machinery in here that Asami didn't recognize, but could guess the purpose of. She gave Korra a satisfied smile at being vindicated that they were in the right place.

They slowly moved deeper into the building trying to watch every direction at the same time. Eventually they came to a heavy metal door that looked decidedly newer then everything around it. Korra looked at it before sweeping her gaze along the wall to both sides. "There's platinum in this wall, but this door is iron. This is the only way in."

Korra planted her feet as she reached out seizing the door and wrenching it off it's hinges before sending it crashing to the floor with a thunderous clang. Korra put one hand on the door jamb and looked inside as well as she could before entering, the lights were off leaving the far side of the room darkened.

This particular room was larger then the rest of the building put together. There was a conveyer belt coming out of one wall and running almost all the way to the other end. Asami followed Korra in and glanced around for a light switch. She saw it a few feet away and moved over to turn it on.

Korra turned away from Asami looking at the far wall now that they could see it. Sitting in a neat grid of cubbyholes were vines encased in metal/glass cells. Korra turned to grin at Asami "Come on, let's-."

Thump. Thump. Explosion.

The combustion benders surprise attack sent both of them flying away from each other. Korra crashed into the ground several feet away from the door they had come through while Asami was tossed over the conveyer belt.

Korra groaned as the wind was knocked out of her and her side started aching from the impact. She shook her head in a daze as she tried to gather her wits and get back to her feet. Just as she started to stand again, she felt a pair of hands grab her and throw back onto the ground. A knee in her lower back and a hand on the back of her head held her down as another person walked up and hit her several times along the spine.

Those strikes felt oddly familiar to her, someone had done that once before. It took her a second to realize what it was, but her daze disappeared as the realization sobered her instantly. Her bending had been blocked.

Ginger's voice sounded so very pleased with herself, the woman was practically purring. "You really should visit the Fire Nation more often Korra, it's always so enjoyable."


	30. Chapter 30

Korra's head was being pushed into the floor, the rough stone surface scraping her cheek while a knee was driving downward onto her kidneys to keep her from moving. Her bending had been blocked and Ginger was looming above her with at least one but possibly two combustion benders in the room with her.

Asami had been sent flying by the attack and could be injured or possibly have been knocked unconscious. It took every modicum of willpower she had to keep from losing her calm and completely panicking, but she wasn't far off from it.

She heard Ginger move away "Her bending is blocked now. You can let her up, she's no threat now. Where did the other one go?" One of the benders, she didn't know which one, answered her with a gravelly voice "The explosion threw her over the conveyer belt. She isn't moving though, looks like she got knocked out."

Korra felt the hand and knee pressure dissipate as the man stood up and backed off to stand several feet away from her. She took a deep breath before pressing her hands to the ground and slowly standing up, her side feeling bruised from the impact and her lower back aching from the knee digging into her. Korra turned to face Ginger as she pulled herself fully upright refusing to appear cowed despite how bad the situation was.

For once Ginger wasn't wearing some kind of dress, instead she had thrown on a soldier's outfit, all hardened leather and metal. She wasn't wearing a helmet, but she had used a large bandana to hide her bright red hair. A pair of sword hilts stuck up over her shoulders and everything she was wearing had been stained to a dull black color.

Korra glanced around to see how just how many people Ginger had brought with her. It was something of a relief to only see the two combustion benders, but they were more then enough to handle her now that she couldn't bend.

Ginger folded her arms as she considered Korra, one finger tapping her bicep "I have to admit this doesn't feel like much of a victory. After all of the things you've accomplished, I thought defeating you would be a lot harder. All the power in the world and you walked yourself right into this little predicament since you acted before thinking."

Korra bristled at the mockery in Ginger's tone and words. "It's easy to talk down to someone when you have the upper hand. All you've done is hide in the shadows and order other people around. Why don't you show some backbone and see if you can fight me one on one."

Ginger covered her mouth trying to hold back a laugh but soon gave up and dropped her head, the laughs making her shoulders shake. "You really are a naive child aren't you? Do you really think I would try to fight you when you have your bending? Most people don't learn from the past, but that's not a mistake I make. Trying to fight a fully realized Avatar is the definition of stupidity, the Avatar will always win. And yet people keep trying with the same result."

"And what do you think you're going to do? Try to keep me locked up? It can't be done, all it takes is one mistake, forget to keep my bending blocked even once and there's no prison that can hold me."

Ginger eyed Korra for a second, a curious look on her face. She glanced at the combustion benders briefly before moving forward to stand very close to Korra giving her a lascivious smile. She reached up pressing one lacquered nail into the bottom of Korra's chin, lifting her face. "I suppose I really should just kill you, but it'd be such a waste." Ginger pulled the nail back as she trailed her fingers down the side of Korra's neck as her voice dropped to a low sultry whisper "You really are such a lovely young thing, a lovely young thing who enjoys being tied up and loves being sodomized..."

Korra stiffened, the last feeling of panic disappearing entirely, an overwhelming fear taking it's spot. Her eyes widened and her body betrayed her terror as she began trembling visibly. Ginger gave her a cruel smile and kept whispering "Did you really think that I hadn't watched those movers? I know what you really are and by the time I'm finished with you, that's all that will remain."

Ginger gave her one last smirk then started to turn away. "Put some cuffs on the two of them and let's get going. Our diversion for Iroh and the others can't last too much longer." Korra felt all her emotions vanish leaving her strangely numb. Ginger had exposed her back and both of those swords to her. She reached out grabbing one of the hilts and pulled it free.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion all of a sudden. Ginger spinning back to face Korra as the dao blade rose into the air and slashed back down. Whether it was luck, instinct or fast reflexes, Korra couldn't say, but Ginger's head twitched back just far enough for her to escape death. It wasn't far enough for her cheek however.

Ginger screamed as she slapped one hand to her face, staggering backwards. One of the combustion benders moved towards Ginger while the other turned away from walking towards Asami and aimed himself at Korra.

"Stop!" Ginger pulled her hand away, a red imprint of her fingers remaining on her face. "You filthy blubber eating Water Tribe whore! I was going to let you live, now I'm going to cut you into pieces and feed them to your slut of a girlfriend."

Ginger pulled her remaining sword out as she advanced unsteadily on Korra, one half of her face covered in red while the other twisted in hatred. Korra quickly found herself grateful for the sword lessons that Iroh had given her. Ginger would have killed her in seconds without them even as erratic as her attacks were. But even with them, she recognized she was barely able to hold Ginger's attacks at bay and her back was rapidly approaching a corner as she kept backpedaling to survive.

On the other side of the room, Asami stared up at the vine cells above her. It had taken her this whole time, but she had managed to slowly crawl, inch by inch, over here. Luckily the combustion benders had dismissed her as being knocked out without looking too closely, instead focusing on Korra as the threat to watch.

She glanced over back at Korra as the swords continued clashing against each other. She didn't know how good Ginger was with a sword, but Korra definitely wasn't an expert with any kind of weapon. Asami glanced at the benders, neither of them were looking in her direction. She reached up and grabbed the nearest cell to her pulling it out of the cubbyhole.

These vines overloaded when exposed to electricity, that's what Chou had told her, even if he had tried to avoid doing so. She flexed her gauntlet for a moment hoping it was still working after that explosion earlier. Asami primed the glove and pressed it against the cell's contacts sending the electric charge into the vine. She was instantly rewarded as the vine began glowing purple in response. Not wanting to take any chances, she primed the gauntlet once more and zapped the vine a second time.

Asami thrust the cell into the air as she yelled at the other people in the room "Hey! Over here!" The combustion benders pivoted towards her instantly but Ginger hesitated as she backed away trying to keep an eye on Korra while looking towards Asami.

"Spirit vines explode when exposed to electricity." She wiggled the glove's fingers as she spoke "I just electrocuted this cell twice, I don't know how long it's going to take, but it's going to explode." Asami gestured at all the other vines sitting in storage "And it's taking all of those with it. There's only one way any of us are walking out of here now. One of us gives Korra her bending back or we all die here."

Ginger turned her head as she looked at the glowing vine then back at Asami. She shot an ugly look at Korra before throwing her sword to the ground in disgust and backing away from the Avatar. Asami set the cell on the ground as she hurried across the room while pulling the glove off and casting it aside to free her other hand.

As she skidded to a halt, Korra turned her back so Asami could unblock her. It only took a few quick strikes to undo Ginger's work freeing Korra up to enter the Avatar state. As her eyes began to glow, the cell on the ground started sparking more violently.

Out of the corner of her eye, Korra saw Ginger and the combustion benders sprinting through the hole in the wall where the door used to be. She grabbed Asami with one hand shoving the raven haired woman behind her as the vines began to explode.

The wave of purple rushed towards them as Korra threw her hands up redirecting the energy up towards the ceiling in a tumultuous cascade of sound and light. Asami covered her eyes until it was over before looking around where the two of them were standing.

The far wall was entirely gone and so was most of the roof as well, both vaporized by the explosion. Asami glanced down and stumbled backwards falling to her bottom. It was too dark to see very far, but it looked like they were standing on the top of a cliff. The explosion must have cut away a swath of the mountain beneath them she decided.

Korra glanced over the edge then turned holding a hand out to Asami "We're almost done, the vines are gone, but we need to get rid of what's still here." Asami blinked, startled at how unnaturally calm Korra sounded. She reached up taking Korra's hand, letting herself be pulled up to her feet.

Iroh and the others were climbing the road towards them when they exited the building. "Are you two all right? We saw the explosion...what happened?" Korra glanced towards Iroh, her eyes seeming empty and spoke in that same strange voice "Ginger was waiting for us in there. Things got a little out of hand, but the vines are gone. If you have the explosives, you can get rid of whatever's left."

Korra turned away heading down the roadway as though she had forgotten they were there. Iroh and his friends all looked at each other, a mix of knowing and concerned expressions appearing on their faces.

Iroh stayed next to Asami as the others headed up for what was left of the building above them. "I don't know exactly what happened in there, but it wasn't good. Korra will need you before long, be there for her when the time comes."

Asami hurried down to catch up to Korra as Iroh headed up towards the building above. Korra glanced at her, but didn't say anything. The silence lasted through the ride back to the Fire Nation capitol as they returned to the house that Iroh had put them up.

Asami kept glancing at Korra out of the corner of her eye, a feeling of unease and dread growing as they got ready for bed. Even if Iroh hadn't said anything, it was obvious that something was very wrong. Her silence was an obvious cue, but everything about Korra seemed wrong. Her movements lacked their usual fluidity, her eyes seemed completely empty and her face never changed expression at all. It was like Korra's spirit had disappeared and there was nothing but a husk going through the motions.

Iroh came to visit two days later to let her know had things had gone. "We searched the mines to see if you might have missed anything, but it looks like you got rid of all the vines. After that, it was easy enough to plant the charges to get rid of the machines still there."

"Do you think Ginger will try again? We didn't find any of the workers, she could try relocating them somewhere else and starting over." The general shook his head "It's possible, but we're keeping a closer eye out this time. They only got as far as they did because we didn't know spirit energy was one of their goals. We know what to look for now so we'll be able to shut it down much faster if they try again."

Asami picked up a cracker and nibbled at it for the sake of being polite "So what's the political fallout from this? She won't be able to deliver any weapons that she might have promised." Iroh shrugged slightly "Some of the more militant houses have sent messages saying that they're committed to peace and support the ban on spirit energy. They've been set back for now, but I don't doubt they'll give it up for good. But that's a struggle for another day."

Iroh drank the last of his tea then stood up "So before you go, I want you to know how grateful my mother and I are that you and Korra helped us with this. The Fire Nation is in your debt and if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Asami did her best to smile at the man "It was our pleasure Prince Iroh. If you're ever in Republic City, let us know and I can make any arrangements you might want." After that, Korra, Asami and Naga went back to their airship, setting course for home.

That night, Asami abruptly sat up, something having woken her from a dreamless sleep. She looked at Korra's side of the bed, it was empty and the door was partially ajar as well. Asami got out of the bed moving into the hallway hearing a faint sound in the distance. She followed it into the lounge area, her senses growing alert.

Korra was sitting on the floor next to an open window, her arms wrapped around her knees as she sobbed to herself. Asami hesitated for half a second before rushing over and closing the window. She wrapped her arms around Korra squeezing her as tightly as she could. "What's wrong Korra? Talk to me." The avatar uncurled enough to throw herself into Asami, burying her face in her shoulder as she started relating her encounter with Ginger.

"And after she turned away, everything just went away. I grabbed one of the swords and...and...I wanted to kill her. The things she said.. it was more horrific then anything I've ever heard or has been done to me. That woman is pure evil, how could anyone want to do something like that to another person..."

As Asami listened to Korra speak, she felt equal parts sympathy for Korra and disgust at Ginger. "I'm so sorry Korra, I can't imagine how awful that was. But we don't have to worry about Ginger anymore, the spirit energy lab is gone. She doesn't have any more power and she won't be able to threaten anyone again. Don't let this ruin you, she can't follow through on any of her threats now. It's like Zaheer, don't fear what might have been. It's not going to happen, I swear it Korra."

Korra gave her a watery smile as she wiped away some of the tears on her face. "OK. Just...stay here with me right now. I don't want to be alone." Asami squeezed her around the shoulders again "If you need anything, let me know all right?"


	31. Chapter 31

Still feeling apprehensive about her lover, Asami continued trying to keep an eye on Korra after their midnight conversation. It had gotten better, Korra was talking again and trying to appear cheerful for Asami but from time to time, she would start staring straight forward as her eyes glassed over.

Asami trapped Korra in an embrace from behind as the airship approached Republic City. "So, Avatar Korra, how should we celebrate tonight? Go eat somewhere, have a night on the town? Walk in the park?" Korra glanced back over her shoulder "What exactly are we celebrating?"

"The world may not know what we did in the Fire Nation these last few days, but it's still a big deal. We destroyed a spirit energy weapons lab and averted a potential war between the four nations. We have to do _something_."

Korra shook her head looking somewhat dejected "I don't know, I kinda want to go home and just relax. I'm not really feeling up to going out in public right now." Asami pursed her lips as she considered for a moment before heading over and picking up a microphone and pressing one of the buttons. "Excuse me Lee, but I'd like to know if there's anything happening in the city tonight. I'd like to go see a play or something like that."

There was a brief crackle from the mic before he responded "I don't know about any plays Miss Sato, but there's a match at the pro bending arena tonight, the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps are playing." That immediately got Korra's attention "A pro bending match?" Asami smiled to herself, the suggestion had Korra looking like the girl who had once snuck into the arena. "I'm in, let's go."

Asami had always considered herself a big pro-bending fan, but she had to admit Korra's enthusiasm for the sport was tough to rival. Korra had been on the edge of her seat even during the team introductions and cheered loudly throughout the entire match. Asami had needed to make a few calls to get them a private luxury box, but it had been worth it. The chairs were comfortable enough that neither woman felt like getting up after the match was over.

Korra's smile was as big as Asami had ever seen. It had been a long time since the Avatar had competed in or watched a pro-bending match and she definitely had missed it "The Buzzard Wasps are good, but that other team wasn't a match for them. Where are they in the standings? When's the championship? I bet they'd pee themselves if they had to face me again."

Asami laughed "I doubt they'd like it, that hat trick of yours is still considered one of the best plays ever. Maybe you should get Mako and Bolin to start up the Fire Ferrets again, it'd just be like old times."

Korra leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling as she stuck her hands behind her head. "That's how it all started wasn't it? Sneaking into the arena, meeting Mako and Bolin and you running into Mako. It feels like that all happened so long ago now doesn't it? It's almost strange to think how far we've all come since then. Bolin's acting career, Mako becoming a detective, the two of us fighting over Mako to being together now, I don't think I ever could have predicted any of it, not that I'm complaining or anything."

"What do you think Mako would say if he knew we were together Korra?" Asami was trying to be flippant, but it didn't take long for both of them to realize that it was true. "Mako doesn't know about

us. The only people who know are Iroh and Kaya...we should tell them."

Korra sat up in her chair, looking guilty "We should tell Mako in person, he deserves that much from us. If Tenzin and Suyin are still in Republic City, then I'll go talk to them...and Beifong. As for the rest...it might be inconsiderate, but maybe we should just send a letter to everyone who isn't in the city."

Asami reached over and gently rubbed Korra's back between her shoulder blades "Don't get down on yourself, we've been preoccupied and we haven't been together that long remember? It's only been a month or so. I'll send out some letters to everyone, but let's talk to Mako first."

Korra nodded her head as she turned away giving Asami easier access to her back "That works for me. So where do we find Mako? Is he still sleeping under his desk at the police station? I never understood why he chose to start doing that. Finding somewhere to live couldn't have been that hard."

Asami reached over with her other hand as she started squeezing Korra's shoulders and neck "Not anymore, he was living with Wu while he was stuck as his bodyguard. I talked to Mako at the wedding and he said that Wu insisted on buying him a house. His way of saying thanks for guarding him those three years."

"That's nice of Wu, though I think Mako might still be the loser there. Three years of having to go to the bathroom with Wu." Asami snorted at Korra's remark "I don't think I'll ever forget Mako's face when he told us about that."

Korra started to reply, but was cut off when the door behind them opened. The janitor stopped short "Oh sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here. I wasn't trying to interrupt or anything." Korra glanced at Asami as she reluctantly stood up, ending the massage "We should get going, go ahead."

The crowd had left while they were talking, leaving the walkway to the city empty except for them. Korra looked up at the night sky seeing the stars faintly glittering above them "So do you know where Mako's house is? I want to see what it looks like."

"I don't know. Mako didn't actually say, but I have his phone number. I'll call him when we get home and set up a time for us to visit. So I have to ask, how are you feeling Korra? About...well you know what I mean."

Korra stopped walking forward and moved towards the railing to look out over the bay "What you said on the airship made sense. It would have been a horrible fate, but it didn't happen. But that's not what bothers me. I've always tried to respect life, I don't believe killing is justified. That's not who I am... and Ginger pushed me over the line that night. An inch or two in the other direction and I would have killed her. That's what truly bothers me, that I actually tried to do it. And if it happened once, it could happen again."

"I don't agree with that Korra. I'm not trying to say it didn't happen, but I think this situation was unique." Asami glanced both ways to see if anyone was nearby, but they were alone. She dropped her voice to a low whisper anyways "The things Ginger made...that's probably the worst possible thing she could have threatened you with. Especially considering your role as a sub, could you imagine a worse fate for you? Even dying would be better then that."

The Avatar was silent for several minutes as she thought that over. Eventually she turned towards Asami "And my brilliant engineer girlfriend is right yet again. Do you ever get tired of being right all the time?" Asami gave her a small smile in response as Korra kept talking "It's strange though. You always seem to know the right thing to say or you read me like a book. I can't figure out how you do it."

Asami smiled again as she closed the distance between them and lightly kissed Korra on the lips "What can I say? I know you better then anyone else, of course I can tell what you're feeling. And it's not like you can't read me either, you've done pretty well before. And it's not like it's a bad thing, it means we get each other." Korra gave Asami a kiss of her own then grinned "Right again. Come on, let's go home so you can call Mako and figure out a time. I'll see if Tenzin and Suyin are still around."

Setting a date to visit Mako was easy enough. Having an injured arm had gotten him pulled off the streets and behind a desk now that he was working for the police department again. Korra had a harder time getting in touch with Tenzin, but he and Suyin were staying on Air Temple island. Mako in a couple of days, then visiting her former bending teachers after that.

Asami drove them to the address that Mako had given them. To her surprise, it was in one of the areas that had been built after the battle with Kuvira. She had been expecting something in the old city or somewhere downtown. There was a new looking car sitting in the driveway outside. "You know cars better then me Asami. Is that a good model?"

Asami glanced it over through the window for a moment "It's not one of our luxury brands, but Mako made a good choice. I'm actually kinda proud of this one, I think I did a really good job with the handling." "You designed this one?"

She shook her head "Partially, I didn't have a hand in the car's body, but I worked on the other stuff. Transmission, steering and what not." Korra turned her attention away from the car as she took a closer look at the neighborhood. All the houses were new and looked slightly upscale. There was a park nearby and she could see kids running around while their parents watched them from nearby.

"This is a nice looking area, Mako's definitely moved up in the world now. Then again, that's not hard to do when you were living in the arena or sleeping under your desk." Asami lightly punched Korra's bicep "Be nice, he wasn't as lucky as us growing up."

Asami rang the doorbell and waited for Mako to answer. To their surprise, his cast and bandages were finally gone. "There's still a bit of scarring, but the healers say that should disappear on its own. Now I just have to do rehab until my arm gets it's strength back."

Korra looked around the inside after taking her shoes off and leaving them in the entryway. The walls were empty of any decorations and there wasn't much in the way of furniture. A couple of simple chairs and a couch in what she guessed was the living room. She tried to be diplomatic, but it still came out wrong "Are you still unpacking everything?"

Mako shook his head not taking any offense "Yeah I know, it's kinda empty. I've never actually had a place of my own before or stuff to decorate with." Asami gave a slight smile "I thought so, hang on. I'll be right back." She ran outside to her car, getting something out of the trunk before coming back in. "Call it a housewarming gift, It was a bit of a rush order, but I think they did a good job."

She held the wrapped box out to Mako "It's a bit heavy, so be careful." Mako took it from her with both hands looking at it curiously. He set it down and started tearing the wrapping off before opening the box inside.

It wasn't quite as big as the real thing, but the reddish statue was a remarkably good likeness of it's namesake. "A fire ferret?" Mako looked genuinely surprised and seemed a bit touched. Asami clapped her hands together, pleased at his reaction. "I thought it was fitting. Korra and I were talking about old times the other night and I realized it was the Fire Ferrets that brought us all together." Mako looked at the statue again "I don't know if I can accept this...it's too nice."

Korra crossed her arms "Nonsense, you deserve to have nice things Mako, where would this city, or the world be without you? You helped me beat Amon at the end, figured out what Varrick was up to and you were there protecting my body when I was fighting Vaatu. And when we were fighting the Red Lotus, or that time you destroyed Kuvira's giant robot. Give yourself some credit, you deserve a lot more then a small statue."

Mako looked somewhat surprised as she was listing the things he had done "Ok, alright. I'll take it, it's just hard to break old habits is all. You get used to not having things when you grow up on the street."

"Well, if you need any help, I can hook you up with the store that I buy my furniture from. Very exclusive, and if you can't afford it, then consider it a gift from Korra. She hasn't gotten you a housewarming gift yet." Korra gave Asami a sideways look at that, but didn't say anything.

There was a ding from one of the rooms causing Mako to jump. "Ah I guess dinner's done. It's not much, but I didn't have time to make anything fancy." That was definitely true Korra mused to herself. There wasn't much in the way of spices or anything and it tasted like Mako had just dumped all of the meat and vegetables into a pot and boiled it. It wasn't horrible, but she started feeling like she had gotten by spoiled by the cooks at home.

Mako had been telling them about his day to day work at the police department and news from the spirit energy convention while they ate. Afterwards, the conversation shifted "So, what exactly have you two been doing? You disappeared the night Varrick got married and no one has really seen or heard much from you until the spirit energy convention. And then you disappeared again on the first day. What's going on?"

Korra and Asami glanced at each other then started to relate what had happened. They left out their relationship for the moment, the movers and the things Ginger had said to Korra. Instead they focused on Asami's deal with Izumi, Chou and his testimony, the fight with Ginger at the research lab and how it had been destroyed. It felt like they were being lying by omission in a way, but some things were better left being buried.

Mako glanced at his left arm "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you. I would have if I hadn't been injured..." Korra gave him a soft smile "We know Mako, it's all right. We're not holding it against you. And... there's one more thing we haven't mentioned yet."

She reached out to grab Asami's hand, lacing their fingers together. "We've...well...Asami and I are together now." Mako stared at them, his face slowly transitioning from utter surprise to a dejected look. Korra felt the urge to squirm in her seat as he remained quiet, she had been afraid he would take it hard and he was starting to look like Naga after she had done something wrong.

Eventually he sighed and ran a hand through his hair "Well, I never expected to hear that tonight. I have to ask, was it me? I mean, I dated both of you, not at the same time. I didn't make you start hating men or turn both of you into lesbians?"

Korra tried to stifle a giggle but failed "No Mako, we don't hate men and you didn't turn us into lesbians. You didn't do anything wrong, our relationships with you didn't work out, it happens all the time. Asami and I just ended up falling for each other."

Asami chimed in then "I know we should have told you sooner, that's our fault. It didn't occur to us that we hadn't told anyone until just a couple of nights ago. You're actually the first person we've told, we didn't want you to find out from someone else."

"So things wouldn't get weird like they were after Unalaq attacked the city?" Korra shifted in her chair looking guilty but Asami shook her head "I suppose that might be part of it, but you deserved to hear it first. We still love you, you're like a brother to both of us."

Mako rubbed his chin as he tried to gather his thoughts "I'll admit, this feels strange, weird or whatever you want to call it. I'm not angry at either of you, just confused. I mean, I'm glad you two are happy with each other, it's just feels odd that the two women I've dated ended up with each other."

"It's still just us, you haven't gone out with anyone since then?" Mako shook his head "I was too busy on the beat as a cop then I ended up guarding Wu for the next three years. I've never really had time for it since then I guess."

Korra jumped on the opening hoping to change the subject away from them now "Well you should think about it. I know you respect Lin and all, but do you really want to be single when you're her age? You could find someone if you tried looking."

"I don't know, both of you know how lucky my love life has been." Asami laughed "You're not giving yourself any credit again. I'm one of the richest women in Republic City, maybe the world now. And Korra's the Avatar; it might not have worked out, but you dated both of us. That counts for a lot I think."

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to think about it." Mako glanced out a nearby window "It's starting to get dark. I don't want to be rude, but I have to get up early so I can go see the physical therapist they recommended before work tomorrow."

Asami and Korra stood up and got ready to leave "You're ok with this right? We don't want you to feel scorned or anything." He shrugged trying to seem nonchalant "I support you both no matter what. This is just a lot to process so suddenly, just give me some time is all."

They both hugged him before leaving "Thank you Mako, that means a lot. To both of us."


	32. Chapter 32

Korra continued to look uncomfortable with the whole situation on the ride home, continually wringing her hands together. "Do you think Mako will be alright? I can't imagine how strange this must feel for him."

Asami bit her lip as she turned the car onto the road heading to their estate. "I think Mako will be fine sooner or later, but he has to be hurt and confused right now. I tried to think about how we should have broken it to him, but there's no good way to tell someone that both of their ex's are dating each other."

"And now I have to tell Tenzin...and Suyin since she'll be there. I don't think that will be as hard, but I don't know how I'd react if they disapproved. Tenzin's always been my most important mentor ever since I came to Republic City."

"If they disapproved? Of what? Me? Or the fact that we're together? Korra, I've been part of Team Avatar almost as long as Mako or Bolin. If Tenzin didn't like me, he would have said something by now and the Air Nomads value freedom above everything. I don't think Tenzin would disapprove of you following your heart. As for Suyin, I don't know her as well but she doesn't seem like the type to judge others for their sexuality."

They pulled up in front of the garage, Asami hitting her door opener before parking inside. Korra still seemed a bit anxious "I guess that's true, I'm just feeling really nervous about telling everyone about us."

Asami shrugged slightly as they started heading back to their bedroom "I can understand that, there's bound to be people who will hate us for dating another woman, but I don't think any of our friends or family will."

Korra stopped in her tracks, her face going white. Asami didn't notice at first but stopped when she saw Korra wasn't beside her and turned around "What it is?"

"...You said family. I've been thinking about Mako or Tenzin and the rest of them. But I didn't think about telling my parents until now." She put both hands on her forehead "I completely forgot about telling my parents. What's wrong with me?."

Asami walked back pulling Korra's hands down and onto her waist "Calm down Korra, it's all right. You've been through a lot this week, letting some things slip is understandable. And I have met them before so it's not like I'm a complete stranger."

Korra jerked her hands free as she started pacing back and forth looking agitated. "I just don't get how I could forget them. I remembered everyone else that I should tell, but I somehow managed to forget my parents? How would I break it to them for that matter?"

Asami folded her arms as she watched Korra pace back and forth getting more and more worked up. It was painful for her watching the Avatar fretting about her parents. '_Would you have approved Dad? You hated Mako because he was a bender. Did you change while you were in prison or did you carry that hatred to your grave?. And what about you Mom? I was so young when you were taken from us, I never had the chance to know you as a person."_

Asami turned to the side and looked at the ground, her hair tumbling forward to hide her face. She hadn't been able to recover her father's body after the funeral, all that had remained was a crushed pile of metal. She had still bought a coffin, but it had been filled with some of Hiroshi's possessions and mementos. Tears started flowing down her face as she faced the fact that she never would have the opportunity to tell her parents about her relationship with Korra. She glanced to the side at Korra, hoping she hadn't noticed. The Avatar had stopped pacing and was staring out a window, still appearing to be preoccupied

Asami took a few deep breaths and began counting upwards in her head in order to steady herself. After she got to thirty, she started wiping her tears away hoping that they hadn't smeared her makeup. One last deep breath before forcing a smile onto her face.

"Cut yourself some slack Korra. You don't have to be so hard on yourself, especially after what you went through in the last week. How about this, we go tell Tenzin tomorrow then go visit the Southern Water Tribe and we can talk to your parents. Does that work for you?"

Korra turned back towards Asami "I...that'll work. I'm just nervous about what they'll say. My dad's from the northern Water Tribe and they've always been more traditional then the South, I don't think my mom will disapprove though." Asami walked over sliding her arm around Korra's shoulders "I think we'll be fine. Come on, let's get to bed."

Normally neither of the women had any issues falling asleep, but Korra and Asami were both too deep in uncomfortable thoughts to relax. Korra had been endlessly trying to come up how she wanted to break the news of her relationship with Asami, but everything seemed so inadequate and feeble sounding.

Asami's thoughts were more ethereal in nature. Her entire life had always been oriented towards the mechanical and scientific aspects of the world. Gears, sockets, cars, airplanes, mathematics and schematics, all constructs of man in the material world. She had visited the Spirit World with Korra before, it had been a strange, wondrous and at times a dangerous place. But was that all there was or did something else exist out there?

"Korra." Her voice broke through the darkened room, low but easily heard. Korra shifted her head to look towards Asami "What is it?" Asami tugged at her blanket for a moment, pulling it over her shoulder as she rolled to face the Avatar. "What becomes of us?"

"Of us? Me and you?" Asami shook her head "No, I mean of everyone else. When the Avatar dies, he or she is reborn into the next nation and the cycle continues. But what happens to the rest of us? Do we vanish into nothing? Is there another world that we don't know about?"

Korra gave up the pretense of trying to sleep as she considered the question. She jumped slightly as she realized what was motivating the question. "I am so sorry Asami! I was freaking out earlier about my parents and...and...I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad, losing him still hurts, but tonight made me start thinking about this. I never really have up until now. And I can't say that this is a question I like to think about." Korra tried not to sound flippant as she replied "Why not? You're the smartest person I know, you could figure this out if you wanted to."

Asami shook her head "For once, I don't think that's true. How do you go about answering this? If I want to build something that flies, I just need to generate enough lift to overcome gravity. Or the electric gloves I use, voltage, resistance, amperage. All of that can be broken down and solved with mathematical equations. You can theorize, make hypothesizes then run tests. If it doesn't work, you can adjust a variable, use different materials or any number of possible things. But how do I test for a world of the dead? Where's the equation for that?"

Korra winced at the bitterness entering Asami's voice at the end. "I've never been what you would call a spiritual person even if I have gotten better about it over the years. You know as much about the Avatar Cycle as I do, Wan, Raava and all of us that have come since then. Maybe everyone else is reborn too? I don't know the answer, but I do know everyone has a spirit and that it can live on after we die. Meeting Iroh, Lord Zuko's uncle was proof of that. I wish I could help you Asami, but I don't think I can."

Asami sighed, frustrated with a problem she knew she'd never be able to solve "I'll be fine. Let's just get some sleep." She turned away from Korra, glad the darkness hid her wet cheeks from sight. A warm hand reached over giving her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze before retreating. Eventually they both fell into a dreamless sleep as the moon neared it's apex.

The Avatar was still asleep, one arm dangling off the side of the bed when Asami got up. She gently mussed Korra's hair, provoking a slight stir, before getting dressed. She started heading towards the dining room to get something to eat before coming to a halt near the salon. Asami turned around heading back down the hall and downstairs before walking out onto the grounds.

There was a pathway of circular stepping stones surrounded by gravel leading into a grove of trees. She followed the path listening to the morning sounds. Some birds nearby were singing to each other and a gentle breeze stirred the tree branches as she passed beneath them. The path she was on gave way to a small field of cut grass and carefully tended roses.

Asami stopped near one one of the bushes pulling out her multitool. A pair of quick snips and she held two of the roses in one hand. She took a deep breath to ready herself before approaching the two slabs of stone at the far side of the grove.

She set a rose down in front of each before starting to talk. "Hi mom, dad. It's only been a couple of months since the last time I was here, but a lot has happened since then. Construction on the new parts of Republic City has been going well. I got a few contracts there, but nothing very big. I did land a huge contract with the Fire Nation though. Railways, roads, sewers, the works and maintenance on everything. There's so much to do that we've had to start looking for contractors in the Fire Nation to help us handle everything. By the time it's all said and done, I'll be one of the richest people in the world."

"So that's what's been happening with Future Industries. Things have calmed down now that Kuvira is gone, but well...some people in the Fire Nation started trying to build more spirit energy weapons. Korra and I had to team up with General Iroh to stop them. We destroyed their lab, but I had to do something really desperate to pull it off. So after that and the new treaty banning spirit energy, I don't think we'll have to worry about it anymore."

Asami fell silent as she started thinking of something, anything else to say before getting to why she had really come to these tombstones. She knew deep down that they were nothing more then granite, but their eternally silent vigil had always made her feel like an intruder standing on the cusp of a place mortals weren't permitted.

"So...as for me...I've fallen in love with someone. Her name is Korra and she's the Avatar. I know how you felt about benders dad, but I think if you got to know Korra now, she'd change your mind. The triads may have taken you away from us mom, but they're the worst that the bending community has to offer. Korra...well, she was impulsive, reckless and hardheaded when you met her, but she's grown into one of the bravest and most amazing people I've ever met. I wish both of you were here now so you could a part of our life, though I hope you can see us from wherever you are."

As Asami stopped talking, silence overtook the grove again. For half a heartbeat, she hoped to hear her father's voice respond or even her mother, though she had trouble remembering what she sounded like. Asami shook her head, feeling a bit foolish at the thought. Behind her came the crunching of gravel rocks shifting against each other. She turned expecting to see Korra had somehow found her out here, but it was Kaya standing there.

"How...how long have you been there?" Asami felt embarrassed and annoyed at having been intruded upon, but she wasn't able to summon any real anger towards the older woman. "Long enough to hear you talking about what mattered there, I don't care about spirit energy or any of that."

Asami turned back towards the tombstones "You knew my parents since before I was born. I was too young to know mom as a person before the triad came. Would she have liked Korra? I know what my dad would say about her."

Kaya trudged forward to stand beside her "Yasuko was always a lovely woman. I think Korra would have intimidated her at first, but they would get along once they had gotten to know each other. And I don't think you're being fair to your father here."

Asami scowled "I'm not being fair? He hated benders ever since mom was killed, joined the Equalists and ended up trying to kill me." Kaya shook her head "I'm not trying to defend any of that, but he was different before it happened. The person he was might have had issues with you dating a woman, but he wouldn't have hated her for being a bender then."

"I remember that man and never stopped hoping he would come back and I think he did in a way. Hiroshi was never able to forgive the people who took your mother, but I think he stopped blaming all of them for the actions of a few. I visited him a few times while he was in prison and all he ever talked about was trying to make amends for how things happened between the two of you."

Asami's gaze dropped down to the letters carved into her father's tombstone. "I was able to forgive him before the end so he got that much at least." Kaya thread her arm into the crook of Asami's elbow "Did you find what you were looking for out here?" Asami gave a sad smile "I got what I needed I think."


	33. Chapter 33

Korra insisted on riding Naga instead of driving a car on their trip to Air Temple Island. "She needs the exercise. Besides, you taught me how to drive, I figure you should learn how to steer Naga." Asami looked uneasy at the idea as Naga's tail began wagging excitedly. "I don't know about that, I've never been much of an animal person."

Naga whined and pawed at the ground, wanting to get moving. "It's easy, here let me show you." Asami started backing away and waving her hands to no avail. Korra stepped forward waving one arm upward towards the sky. "Korra! Put me down!" Korra merely grinned as she guided Asami up and over onto the dog's back. Not wanting to give Asami a chance to get down, she quickly vaulted up to sit behind Asami while sliding her arms forward to grab Asami's hands trapping her in place.

"You're smart, you'll pick this up in no time. Put your feet in the stirrups to help with your balance, Naga responds to you handle the reins, pull in this direction to turn right and the other way to turn left. And she's smart enough to understand what you're saying, so you can tell her to go faster if you want."

"Uhm, how do I make her start and stop moving?" "Oh, just pull back on the reins if you want her to stop and you can just give it a little flick or tell her to start moving." Asami gripped the reins a little tighter "Are you sure this is a good idea Korra? What if she doesn't like something I do and throws me off?"

The avatar laughed as she reached down with one hand to scratch at the polar bear dog's side "Naga won't do that, will ya girl?" Naga barked in response as Asami resigned herself to trying to control the powerful animal she was sitting on. She gave the reins a tentative flick prompting Naga to start trotting forward.

It took several minutes, but eventually the mansion faded from sight as they ventured deeper into the trees surrounding her estate. Korra glanced to one side as they slowly plodded along "You know Naga can go faster then this right?" "I know, I've ridden her before." "Why are you so worried then? This isn't that much different then driving a car and you're fearless behind the wheel."

"Driving a car and riding an animal are completely different. A car is made of metal, wood and rubber. It's an inanimate object, it only does what you tell it to do through the steering wheel. Animals are living breathing creatures with minds of their own. If Naga decided to go chase a bird or rodent, I wouldn't be able to stop her. I'm only choosing the direction we go because she lets me."

Korra looked up through a gap between the trees at the sky before responding "You're right about the cars of course, but you missed the mark on the rest. The relationship between people and an animal they ride is a partnership. The animal serves as a means of transport in exchange for safety, food and a place to live. Not that I'm saying you're just something to ride Naga."

"So the thing keeping, say an Ostrich horse, in line is the threat of losing that?" Korra pursed her lips considering "I suppose that's true for some animals, but most people form relationships with their animals, like me and Naga, and that's a stronger bond then food or shelter."

"When did you learn about domesticating animals? It's not often you know more about something then I do." "Oh well, I found Naga when I was younger and insisted on keeping her. The White Lotus gave in after a few weeks, but they said I should understand what I was getting into and made me study it."

Asami looked down at the reins in her hands for a moment "This isn't so bad actually, it's a bit fun if I'm being honest. That being said, I'm going to have to punish you tonight for airbending me earlier." She cast a grin back over her shoulder as she finished. Korra leaned forward pressing her chest into Asami's back while squeezing tighter around Asami's stomach "Are you now? Feel like telling me what you plan to do?"

Asami shook her head before looking forward again "You'll just have to wait and see. But first things first, Tenzin is waiting for us." She snapped the reins spurring Naga forward to a quicker pace. The dog gave a cheerful bark at finally being able to run instead of slowly walking.

Tenzin and Suyin were both waiting at the island for them. Tenzin seemed irritated with Korra, likely from their conversation at the Spirit Energy convention. Su, on the other hand had been wearing a small smile since seeing Asami and Korra getting off of Naga.

Asami didn't know Tenzin as well as Korra did, but she could sense his impatience as easily as the other two women. Suyin had seized control of the conversation early on and didn't seem willing to let go. She studied the older woman as they spoke, curious to what her motivations were.

"So, I've been hearing a lot of rumors about your company Asami. Future Industries has been in touch with a surprisingly large number of companies and people, both here and among the Earth city states. Engineers, architects, metal workers, technicians...no one is quite sure what you're planning, but everyone agrees it has to be something massive. And both of you have been seen with the Firelord's son on multiple occasions."

Korra and Tenzin both glanced at each other, sensing Su's change in mood. Asami, on the other hand, didn't seem concerned, she even appeared a bit relieved "I wondered how long we could stay quiet about this, but I guess people are catching on. Firelord Izumi has given me contracts to modernize her nation's entire infrastructure, from the trains to sewers and everything in between."

Suyin took a drink from the porcelain teacup she was holding. "I see, that's why your recruiters have been trying to snatch some of my best people away. I don't blame them for doing their jobs, but Zaofu is trying to rebuild after what Kuvira did to us. Replacing the domes has been...a difficult challenge. Platinum is in high demand right now and we haven't been able to secure a reliable source to gather the metal needed."

"So that's where she got all the platinum for her mecha suit. I know some of it was destroyed, but couldn't you have recovered the remaining pieces?" Su shook her head, a look of anger on her face "We tried, but Raiko claimed it for Republic City, even if we were the ones who did all the work there."

Asami cupped her chin in one hand thinking it through"Well, I can't promise anything, but Future Industries keeps track of old meteor impacts as possible places to look for rare metals. If I'm not mistaken, you use meteors to train people to bend metal don't you?"

Su laughed "Well hopefully you can keep a secret, but yes, that is how we found our platinum. We've tried looking around the old Earth Kingdom, but nothing has turned up. You send me your list and I'll help you find some of the people you're looking for."

Tenzin saw an opening in the conversation and took his chance to cut in. "If that's taken care of, I believe you promised to explain why you left the convention so suddenly Korra. And that explosion that nearly killed you and Asami as you tried to leave. What is going on?"

Suyin set her cup of tea down as she turned her gaze towards the Avatar. Korra took a moment to set her thoughts in order before replying. "Raiko told us about Chou and what he knew a week before the convention, we knew about the spirit energy lab ahead of time. And so did General Iroh, we discussed the matter with him and decided to go after the lab once Chou had testified."

"By yourselves? You didn't think to ask any of us to come with you?" Korra shook her head as she stood her ground. "We did think about it, but everyone was unavailable. Mako was injured, Bolin is off in the Earth Kingdom and I didn't want to ask you or Jinora or any of the other airbenders to come with us to the Fire Nation."

Tenzin looked surprised for a moment before continuing to scold Korra "That's thoughtful of you but you could have told me what you were planning. If something had happened to you, we would never have known about it."

The airbender's tone wasn't accusatory, but Korra still felt a sting at the rebuke and her cheeks colored. To her surprise, Suyin came to the rescue "Reckless or not, it already happened and you've returned to Republic City. Were you successful? The world doesn't need more weapons like the one Kuvira built."

Asami shifted in her chair, unnerved by the venom in Beifong's voice when she said Kuvira's name. "We were, the lab is gone and everything was destroyed. I spoke to Iroh before we left and he gave me his assurances that this wouldn't happen again in the Fire Nation."

Tenzin frowned at that "Perhaps, perhaps not. I hope the ban is successful, but I fear people will keep continuing to be tempted by spirit energy. This may be a threat that never truly goes away, we'll always have to keep an eye out in the future."

Silence fell in the room as Tenzin's comment wormed its way into their heads. Eventually though, Suyin took charge of the conversation again, that smile from earlier making it's way back. "So we're finished with that particular subject, and now Korra and Asami have something else they want to tell you Tenzin."

The other two women looked at Suyin, both appearing startled. "You already know? How?" Korra wasn't sure which of them had spoken, but it didn't matter. "I saw the two of you leaving the wedding with each other. You showed up at the convention together and Asami was holding Naga's reins when you got here. It seems obvious to me, but maybe that's just a woman's intuition."

Tenzin's gaze swept back and forth between the three women and he started to show the look of a man realizing the time to beat a hasty retreat was upon him. Su laughed "Don't look so nervous Tenzin, there's no need to run away."

"All right, I'm listening. What is it?" Korra looked towards Asami for help but she shook her head "He was your mentor, not mine. It should come from you." "Gee thanks. Well, the thing of it is that me and Asami are dating each other and we just realized a few days ago that we hadn't actually told anyone."

"You are? Well, I hope it works out for the two of you."

Korra felt rather underwhelmed at his lack of a response. She had been fretting about Tenzin's reaction almost as much as her parents and this was what she got? "That's it? You're not going to say anything? No Air Nomad wisdom or sage advice, just good luck?"

"Don't misunderstand me Korra, I do care about both of you, but who you date is your business. The choices you make are not for me to judge. As for the Air Nomads, well...they treated love differently then everyone else and I don't think it would apply to you here."

Suyin gave Tenzin an amused look "And to think, you somehow managed to charm Lin. Anyways, he might not say anything, but I will. You seem serious about each other to me, so I'm going to bring this up now for you to think about. If you ever decide you want to have a child of your own, I'd recommend adopting instead of ...other means. I'd like to stay and talk more, but I need to see if there was any word from Zaofu today. Oh and before I forget, have those impact locations sent to Zaofu directly and my husband will look into it."

And with that, Suyin headed out leaving them alone with Tenzin. Asami snuck a quick peek at Korra out of the corner of her eye to gauge her mood. She looked somewhat dissatisfied, likely with Tenzin's lack of a response. "So, you really don't have an opinion on this Tenzin? I figured you would have something to say, Korra's been your protege ever since she came to Republic City."

The airbender sighed and folded his arms. "It's not that I don't care, it's that I don't think this is something I should be advising you on. If you want to work on your airbending or need advice on matters that concern the Avatar, then I'll try to advise you as best as I can. But this doesn't fall into those areas Korra. Your heart and where it takes you is up to you. I'm not saying anything because love is something you have to discover on your own."

Asami tried prying a bit more after that, but didn't get anything else out of Tenzin and they decided to leave shortly after. On the way though, they ran into his brother Bumi. To their surprise, he wasn't wearing the airbenders outfit and had donned his old military uniform, medals and all. "What's with the uniform? You retired years ago."

"Oh, General Iroh's retirement ceremony is tonight so I pulled this out for the occasion. Feels a bit tight, but it's only for today." "Is it now? Feel like crashing the party Asami?" She shook her head "I don't think so, I've been ignoring work for too long and my VP insists I be at the office to meet some group from the Fire Nation. He's been raving about their resume and thinks I need to meet them in person."

Korra didn't have her ceremonial outfit with her, but Bumi shrugged it off "You're the Avatar so they won't say anything. Just having you there will please a lot of the old brass, adds a little razzle dazzle you know?"

Bumi was certainly right about that, all the soldiers she spoke to over the evening were certainly polite enough. A few wives sniffed at her a bit, but didn't say anything overt. The ceremony itself was fairly dry, thanking him for his service, praising his courage, recounting some of his accomplishments and the like.

The party afterwards quickly proved to be completely different however. Soldiers had always been known to be a rambunctious lot, but the rate at which they were drinking was...impressive. She steered clear of the alcohol, just to be on the safe side.

Iroh had spotted her arriving with Bumi, but didn't seem too surprised. He made his way through the crowd towards her, getting sidetracked by wellwishers a few times though. To her surprise, he was turning down any alcohol as well. He finally got to her "A pleasure to see you Avatar Korra, we didn't expect the pleasure of your company tonight."

She shrugged dismissively "I ran into Bumi on Air Temple Island and he said this was happening. I figured I'd drop in since Asami was busy." "Busy with what?" "Oh she said that she had to go meet with some company from the Fire Nation at the office. Future Industries business and all that."

Iroh's expression and posture changed instantly. He had been relaxed and looked like he was enjoying himself, but his mouth twisted like he had swallowed something bitter and the general's body language looked like someone expecting a fight to break out. He leaned in close "Is anyone with her? This could be really bad."

Korra looked at him, not understanding what was worrying him. "She took a cab back to her office, I came here on Naga. What's going on?" Iroh glanced around him for a moment before pulling Korra to a corner of the room. "There aren't any companies from the Fire Nation in Republic City right now." "What? Then who..."

"You remember what I told you about Ginger? That most people thought she was the bastard of some noble house? Well, we started looking into who actually had bought the mine that the spirit energy lab was in. The company name on the papers was a front and the house people thought Ginger was from is the same house that bought the mine. They aren't a power anymore, but they were one of Ozai's strongest supporters. After Zuko became Fire Lord, they fell from grace and lost nearly everything."

"We sent soldiers to arrest them, but there wasn't anyone there, the servants were dead and everything of value was gone. They vanished overnight without a trace and we had no idea where they had gone."

Korra's face went white "We have to warn Asami, I know the phone number, come on."

After leaving the island, Asami had started walking down the street looking for a cab that she could hire. Her office was on the other side of the city and traffic was particularly bad, more accidents then usual. Nighttime was falling as she arrived at the office.

She tried going in the front door, but it was locked for some reason. She rifled through her pockets but her keys weren't on her. '_I left them in the car at home since we ended up riding Naga. Oh tonight is going to be fun. Well, I should be able to get in through the service entrance at least.'_

Asami turned away from the front door and started heading through the alleyway towards the loading bay. There were normally a few people working this late. It was a security violation, going in this way, but this was her company after all.

She stopped halfway down the alley, abruptly feeling uneasy as the sensation of being watched started prickling. Asami glanced behind her towards the street before looking down towards the back of the building but there wasn't anyone in sight.

She started walking at a faster pace anyways and quickly rounded the corner of the building to where deliveries were made. There were a few trucks there but no workers in sight. There should be someone around, but there wasn't anyone in sight.

Asami heard a scraping sound behind her and spun around to see a single shadowed figure standing in the alley exit. He lifted a long slender object to his lips and exhaled into it. There was a sharp piercing pain in her stomach, she looked down to see a feathered dart sticking out of her side.

It took a few seconds, but her muscles quickly seized up and she fell to her knees then sideways onto the ground. There were more footsteps now, but she couldn't turn her head to see who was making them. A truck nearby turned on it's engine and started backing up towards her.

A figure with red hair and a scarred face walked into her field of vision "Load up her in the truck and let's go."


	34. Chapter 34

Korra felt a frantic anxiety start gnawing at her insides. Ginger and company were in the city, appearing intent on going after Asami. "Where is the nearest phone Iroh?" He pointed towards a doorway "There's one in there that you can..." The Avatar didn't wait for him to finish, bolting towards the door as soon as he had pointed. "...use."

A pair of soldiers stumbled into her way only to be shoved aside by a blast of air as she sprinted by "Sorry! Kinda busy right now!" They looked at each other, unsure about how to react "Was that the?...should we?...screw it, let's go get another drink, I'm not starting anything with her."

Korra slammed the door open with her shoulder as she rushed inside. She turned towards the phone grabbing the handset as she started spinning the dial around. "Three four, two six two five." The phone started ringing, each consecutive ring making her heart sink further.

After the fourth ring someone picked up "Hello?" "This is Avatar Korra, is Asami Sato there? I need to speak to her." "I'm sorry, she's currently in a meeting right now. Can you leave a number so she can call you when she gets out?" "Did you hear me! Put Asami on the phone! Now!"

"I can't do that. If you leave a number, we'll call you back. Otherwise I'm hanging up now."

Korra nearly dropped the phone. What was the number to this thing? Iroh reached over taking the phone away from her "Eight three, six two eight nine. After the operator answers, ask for room two." "Thank you sir, we'll be calling you back in just a few minutes."

The man on the other end of the line hung up. Iroh turned towards Korra "What did he say?" "That she was in a meeting, nothing else. Maybe we're just worrying about nothing? I know you said there's no companies over here, but how would you know?"

"Any companies that intend to work with international companies have to file for a license. It's mainly a taxation issue, but it also lets us keep track of what companies are presently abroad. Right now, there aren't any in Republic City. I don't like the idea, but my gut instinct is telling me this group is Ginger and her house."

Korra didn't respond as they sat and waited for the phone to ring. She was hoping that Iroh was wrong, but couldn't shake the suspicion that he was right. After a couple of tense minutes, she stood up "I'm not sitting around anymore. I'll go see if she's there or not."

The phone rang.

Korra picked it up "Hello? Asami?"

"Hello Korra." It was Ginger. "I wanted to thank you for the souvenir you left for me in the lab before I had to leave so suddenly. This glove is such a useful little device. Asami used it to ruin everything I've been working on. And now a little demonstration of what it's going to do for me."

There was a thud as Ginger set her handset down. After a few seconds, there was a sharp scream. The sound raked at her heart as she recognized the voice as Asami's. Ginger picked the phone back up "I wonder how long it'll take for Asami to join her parents."

The phone went dead.

Korra stared at the handset in disbelief before breaking it in half against the desk. She grabbed the base of the phone hurling it at the wall. It cracked on the impact leaving a noticeable dent. Iroh looked at her uneasily as she slammed her fists on the desk leaving a pair of impressions in the solid oak surface. "What's going on? Talk to me Korra."

The Avatar was motionless for a long moment before turning to look at him. Iroh involuntarily stepped back despite himself. Her eyes had turned white and her posture was that of a wild animal whose decided there was only one way out of the corner they had been trapped in. "Ginger has her!"

He put his hands up as he began backing up towards the door hoping to get out before she began to vent the fury in her eyes. "Most of these soldiers here are people who served under me or friends of mine. If you'll be patient-."

Korra instantly hit him in the chest with a gust of air sending him flying through the doorway leaving him sprawled on the floor. She stalked out after him as a man sized boulder crashed upwards through the floor to float in the air above them "Patient! She's being tortured to death and you're asking me to be patient!"

She threw one fist forward in a punch towards Iroh sending the rock plummeting at him. The general tried to block or divert it with a blast of flame, but he knew it was futile. A gust of air rushed over his head striking the rock hard enough to slow it down for Iroh to scramble out of the way.

Iroh glanced towards the air's source. It had only been a single air-blast, but the sheer effort Bumi had put into it was enough to exhaust him anyways. His chest heaved as he gasped down air "I'm too old for this nonsense."

Bumi glanced around at the soldiers around him. The attack on the man of the hour hadn't gone unnoticed and the crowd looked like it was getting ready to riot. Some of the soldiers set their drinks down and started moving towards Korra. She turned to stare at them as the wind began to pick up, whispering around their feet. The floor began shaking as more rocks started breaking loose from the ground and floating all over the room. She let out an inhuman shriek and began floating into the air on a pair of flames emitting from her feet.

He turned his attention back to Korra who looked to still be growing angrier by the second. When he was a child, his uncle Sokka had liked to try and scare him with tales of how terrifying and dangerous an out of control Aang had been. He had never truly believed the stories. Until now.

Bumi started looking for a way to avoid the approaching brawl. These men were soldiers, but they were drunk and facing a very, very angry looking Avatar. He glanced at the myriad of cups holding , it was a long shot, but they had been drinking and it might work.

He straightened up to his full height assuming an old military stance that he hadn't worn in years. "Some of the remaining factions of Kuvira's army have grouped together and are marching on Republic City. All available forces are to report to their their unit's location to await further orders!

Some of the soldiers were sober enough for that to have no effect and glanced at each other then at Korra realizing what Bumi was trying to do. Those with sufficient rank started yelling at the other drunken soldiers to get them to begin moving toward the exit.

Iroh took advantage of the exodus to try and divert Korra from the people present "I'm not responsible for what's happened to Asami and neither is anyone else here. Take your anger out on her, not us!" Korra gave them a baleful stare before smashing a hole through the ceiling with the floating boulders and vanishing into the night on a pair of fiery jets.

There was a building not far away entangled in a morass of vines that had grown through windows before beginning to fracture the stone around them. She glided downwards to place a hand on one particularly large branch.

It took her a moment to find what she was looking for. It was still there, but starting to grow weaker. Korra turned and accelerated back upwards into the sky, flames at the end of each limb pushing her even faster then before.

All of the lights from below began to disappear behind her as she approached the parts of Republic City that had been surrendered to the wilds. A dark maze of eyeless skyscrapers and shattered buildings as they were consumed by a mass of gluttonous vines. The building she was looking for came into view. A short squat building with thick stone walls and no windows.

Ginger may not have expected to be found but she still hadn't neglected to have someone watching though. One of the combustion benders started firing on her as she drew closer. Korra formed a circle of air around herself letting it deflect the blasts as she dropped onto the roof.

She rolled forward and up to her knees as she ripped a chunk of the roof free before using it to knock the combustion bender off the side of the stone structure. The people inside had tried to prepare for the possibility of facing her as best as they could have.

She couldn't bend weapons made of platinum, but one couldn't wield them when the floor you stood upon was ripped away. Or when pipes hidden in the walls and ceiling burst free to ensnare their victims before dragging them back from whence they came.

People began to throw down their weapons and flee in terror. Korra ignored them as she approached her goal, a single door barring her way. She pushed on it with one hand only for it to stop short against some kind of barrier on the other side.

One punch to throw a burst of air severed the door from it's hinges and sent it crashing into the far wall.

Asami was there, her hands raised above her hand and chained to the ceiling. Her legs had given way beneath her leaving her to dangle from the chain and her hair hung downward as her head drooped towards the floor. In addition, there were numerous smoking holes scattered about her jacket and pants.

Ginger stood behind Asami, one hand wearing the electro-gauntlet and pressed against the back of Asami's head. "If you-"

Korra didn't give her the chance to finish as she grabbed a hold of the metal in the glove using it to drag Ginger to the middle of the room and away from her hostage. The glove and hand within smashed downwards onto the floor. The metal on the outside flowed downward driving spikes into the floor and the cuff tightened about the wrist inside leaving no room for escape.

Ginger tried pulling at the glove once before settling into as comfortable a kneeling position as she could. She took one deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing for the end. The Avatar ignited a dagger shaped flame above her fist and began moving forward.

"Kor...ra."

Asami's voice was weak and the single word sapped most of what strength she still had. It was still enough to halt Korra's rampage. The flame flickered out and her eyes returned to normal. She immediately strode over, forgetting about Ginger as she put one arm around Asami to support her before releasing the chain. Asami instantly sagged into Korra, unable to stand on her own.

Korra laid her down on the floor as gently as she could, but even that much drew a whimper. Water, she needed water. She looked about in vain before taking a deep breath trying to calm herself. Her eyes flashed white before fading. There. A copper pipe burst free of the wall and began pouring water onto the floor. The water was rancid and filled with filth from sitting in the pipe for so long. It took her a minute to sift the debris free before having enough to work with.

The lessons from Katara's book came flooding back. The first step in healing to was diagnose the injury. She placed both hands, covered in water, onto Asami as she began feeling the flow of the injured woman's chi whilst trying to visually appraise her at the same time.

Small but violently red scorch marks were everywhere. Arms, legs, stomach, back, chest, the only area that hadn't been touched was Asami's face and neck. Korra could sense the damage everywhere else, not just on the skin, but all throughout her muscles and nerves.

Tears began forming in Korra's eyes as she saw the staggering extent of it all. "How are you still alive?" She didn't wait for an answer as she set about trying to heal as much as she could.

Time passed, how much she had no idea but Korra kept healing until she fell to the ground from exhaustion, unable to go any further. "I'm still alive because I knew you would come." Asami's voice was hoarse, but nowhere as feeble as it had been earlier.

Hearing Asami speak gave her another burst of strength and she used it to push herself up to her feet and approach Ginger. "A wise woman once told me that I can learn from my enemies. I doubt you can teach me anything, but you are going to explain what you're trying to accomplish with...everything you've done."

Ginger had watched Korra the entire time, her gaze unwavering as she worked to save her lovers life. Her gaze was as intense now but she surprised the Avatar with a bitter laugh "It doesn't truly matter now, you've ruined everything, but I'll humor you anyways."

"It was nearly four years ago, the night that the Nuktuk finale premiered. You probably don't remember but I was there when you approached Raiko asking for his help. At the time, I didn't believe you when you said Unalaq was going to destroy the world. But then the sky changed all over the world a few days later and that...thing attacked Republic City."

"After the crisis passed, I remembered you mentioning an event you called Harmonic Convergence. I spoke to scholars in the city but none of them could tell me anything. An event that threatened the world's existence and nobody I spoke to had even heard of the term."

"I spent the remainder of that year searching for answers. I visited the fire sages, browsed our most ancient libraries, searched the ruins of the Sun Warriors and all I found were rumors and faint traces of a long forgotten secret. Eventually though, I discovered something called the Tree of Time and it was there I learned everything."

"Wan, Raava, Vaatu, Lion Turtles and how spirits have been trying to destroy us for as long as we have existed. And what's worse, how close they've come. We would have been exterminated if not for the Lion Turtles and we escaped destruction by the narrowest of margins during the last two Harmonic Convergences."

"There's only one way for us to survive beings like Vaatu, destroy them before they kill us all. And Varrick provided us the means. All I had to reproduce his invention and use it in the Spirit World."

Korra stared in disbelief "You're insane, the spirit and material worlds are connected. You have no idea what that would do. Nobody does."

She turned away not wanting to hear anymore as she tentatively picked Asami up and headed outside. To her surprise, Naga was waiting there. "Naga! You followed me here?" The polar bear dog looked down at Asami before lowering herself to the ground so Korra could get on while holding Asami in her arms.

Ginger watched Korra depart before trying to pull her hand free once again to no avail. She glanced around looking for anything that she could use but nothing was within reach. Ginger sighed and settled back, hoping one of her supporters was still around and might be able to free her.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but by now the Avatar had to be far away. The sound of booted feet came to her ears. Ginger looked up, thinking that her rescue was at hand but those hopes were dashed in an instant.

Iroh was standing there in the doorway, his arms folded as he studied her carefully. She laughed bitterly once more "Not quite what I was looking for, but you'll do. I surrender, take me to prison General."

He reached into a satchel at his waist pulling out a small bundle of red cylinders. Iroh fished out a piece of string and began attaching it. "What are you doing? You can't kill me. You're part of the United Forces."

"I'm not a general anymore, now I'm just prince of our nation." He paused in preparing the bomb as he looked down at her. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, you really were one of our best agents." He knelt down placing the bomb on the floor making sure it was out of reach.

"Why didn't you just have the Avatar kill me then? You used her for everything else." "I did try, it would have tidied things up quite nicely, but she refused. I envy her idealism and I admire her for it. The world would be a better place if we were all like her, but that's not the case."

He lit the fuse before departing himself. Ginger watched the flame burn down as she began frantically trying to free her wrist. Her skin broke and red began to pour outwards as the building was consumed in a brilliant fireball as red as her hair.


	35. Chapter 35

Korra kept Naga at a slow space not wanting to jostle Asami. "You know the city better then me. Where's the nearest healer? I did what I could, but you need someone more experienced then me to look at you."

Asami grimaced and started rubbing her right bicep as the muscles began contracting and relaxing on their own. "You can't take me to a healer in the city. If word of this gets out, it'll hurt Future Industries on the stock market."

The avatar couldn't believe what she was hearing "You can't be serious, you almost died back there and you're worried about your company!? You need to see a healer whose better then me."

"Don't worry, I'm going to, I just have to make a call. Take me to that phone over there." She tried to get off Naga under her own power, but her legs gave way underneath her before Korra caught her. "Just let me carry you around, you're too weak right now. Who are you calling?"

"After you stopped Unalaq, I realized the influence that propaganda could have from Varrick's movers. Nobody was willing to do business with Hiroshi Sato's old company. So I started a public relations campaign with me as the centerpiece of it. I hated doing it, but it worked and I became the company's face. People can't see me as ever being injured or sick, it ruins the image, so I joined a clinic that specializes in discretion."

Asami dialed a number and started speaking to a voice at the other end. She gave an address before hanging up. "All right, they'll be coming to pick us up. I hate to do this, but Naga's too recognizable, you have to send her home." The dog whined in protest before Korra's promise to spoil Naga the next day persuaded her to lope off.

It took several minutes before a small truck pulled up. Plain and unadorned, the truck's exterior looked just like any other truck driving around everywhere in the city. The back doors opened letting Korra in There was a bed on one side that Korra set Asami down on. An older looking woman with salt and pepper hair shut the doors behind them before rapping on the vehicle's side. The truck shuddered briefly as it pulled out onto the road.

The rest of the interior was taken by a bench next to the bed and several cabinets holding medical supplies. Below them sat a pair of barrels, one was red and the other green. The green barrel was full of water while the red one was empty.

The healer's eyes glanced towards Korra for a second before turning to Asami. "All right, let me have a look at you Miss Sato." She bent some water out of the green barrel and started inspecting the damage Asami had taken. It didn't take long before she was shaking her head.

"This is...I've healed people that have been electrocuted in the past, but I've never seen burns as widespread as this before. You should count yourself lucky the Avatar was there Miss Sato. No one else in the city would have been able to save you if you ask me."

She dropped the water into the red barrel before turning back to face them . "Well, you're not in any danger of dying but you took an awful lot of damage. I'm not sure what symptoms you'll have, but issues with motor control, tremors, and cramping are common."

She turned towards Korra as she continued onwards "The injuries she's taken are beyond my ability to heal, but from what I've seen here, they aren't past yours. Katara could heal her, but that's a long trip and I wouldn't risk it with her condition I'd recommend you stay with her until she recovers. There's two other things I would recommend. Make sure she gets enough sleep, it'll help her through this...and don't let her work, at least for a few weeks, she'll push herself too hard and suffer a relapse."

Asami instantly tried to protest but was shushed immediately "Doctors orders, no arguing with me. I know how you get."

She was able to follow them for two weeks without complaining, much, before Korra caught her trying to sneak into her private office in the mansion. She pushed the door shut "You know the rules, no working until you've recovered."

"Future Industries needs me, I can't just disappear on them right now. You have to let me in. Please!"

Korra sighed, hating the role she had to play "You're supposed to be healing right now, you're no good to Future Industries or anyone else if you push yourself too far."

"Then you can decide my hours, if you think I'm going too far, you can tell me to stop. I'm not doing anything physical, it's all mental, just some calculations handwriting."

Korra snatched away some of the papers that Asami was holding and looked at it before looking back at Asami. "I'm pretty sure that Rohan can write better then this. What is this supposed to say?" Asami crossed her arms and scowled but didn't respond. Korra sighed before opening the door and pushed the wheelchair inside "Two hours a day for now and you aren't writing anything. I'll do it for you."

"It's nice that you're willing to work with me on this, but how familiar with trigonometry or calculus are you Korra?" The avatar's eyes flicked from side to side as the realization of what she had walked into began to sink in. Asami's smile was almost devilish "This is going to be fun, at least for me."

The days slowly stretched into weeks before one month and then a second passed. Asami's strength was beginning to return as her burns lost their violent hue and began to disappear save for a few that continued to resist Korra's ministrations.

Trying to understand some of the things she was writing down often left Korra's head spinning even with Asami's explanations. It made sense if she ignored the math and focused on what Asami was trying to accomplish. Alloys of metal that could withstand lava flows, cleaning and storing water, finding copper mines for power lines and so on.

Things were rougher on Asami then they were for Korra however. Being confined to a wheelchair at first and then having to rely on a cane to get around left her irritable and prone to occasionally snapping at Korra. One particularly bad day resulted her throwing the cane against the wall and sinking to the floor as her frustration pushed her to the edge of tears.

"How did you deal with this Korra? It's only been two months and I feel like I'm at my wits end. You had to do this for two years."

Korra knelt down beside her placing a hand on Asami's shoulder "I know it's hard but you're progressing faster then I did. It took me six months before I could even use rails to take a step. And it's not like I didn't get angry or frustrated either, you should have seen me when I started yelling at Katara. I know it can be painful but the only way to improve is to keep working at it. And I'm here for you no matter how long it takes."

Another month saw Asami's mood improve as she gained her motor functions back. The damage had been healed, but she was still out of shape. Korra had finally succeeded in removing all but one of the scars as well. The last one was hard to see, barely darker then Asami's skin, but it was still visible as it traced a jagged line from one side of her rib cage to the other.

Asami had insisted on some sparring sessions in addition to her regular exercises. Korra was pulling her punches and kicks, but still felt uneasy about the risk of injuring Asami even with gloves and protective gear on. The only upside was that it made it harder for Asami to land some of her wrist-locks, but Korra was still quick to tap after being caught by a few of them early on.

The avatar stepped away for a moment as she reached into a bin holding equipment. "So do you feel like using this for a round or two?" She held up the electro-gauntlet, Asami's old weapon of choice. Asami's face quickly went pale as her eyes widened as she stared at something not there and her hands began to shake. "Please stop. No more, what do you want from me? It hurts, everything hurts so much!"

Korra dropped the glove as she darted to Asami's side, grabbing her face with both hands "Asami, snap out of it. You're not back there anymore. You're here with me. We're in the gym, at our home." Asami's eyes focused on Korra's face as whatever she had been seeing disappeared. "Get rid of it, all of them. I don't want to see one of those ever again."

Korra turned away as she bent a dumbbell into her hand. "I'll do that. But this one is yours to destroy. It won't hurt you, nobody's using it. It's just lying there." Asami took the dumbbell from Korra, hitting the glove until it had been smashed into tiny pieces, tears streaming down her face.

The sparring sessions continued to grow more competitive as Asami began regaining her former form once more. Korra started adding in bursts of flame and and air to help push her, but nothing excessive and it wasn't long until Asami was able to close the distance and block Korra's bending. Korra gave a proud smile at Asami, but the other woman looked dissatisfied. "What's wrong? You got me that time."

"I know, but it took everything I had to get through your defenses that round. And that's with you holding back and only using two elements. I wouldn't have a chance if you were fighting seriously."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I'm the Avatar. I'm not the best person to compare yourself to. Even if I'm only going at fifty percent, that's still more then what most people can handle If I used all four elements or went into the Avatar State, sparring wouldn't be very interesting. So don't be so hard on yourself, you're as good now as you ever were. Anyways, it's starting to get late, give me my bending back then let's get something to eat before bed."

After they had finished eating and were heading to bed, Asami's curiosity finally got the better of her.  
"I know that your eyes glow when you enter the Avatar State, but they return to normal after a few seconds. I've been watching them whenever you heal me... but that night...the glow didn't go away until I said your name... "

Asami didn't like to talk about what had happened to her. She always referred to it simply as 'that night' on the rare occasions it came up. Korra sat down on the bed, looking somewhat regretful as she recalled what had happened after losing control.

"Avatars learn how to control the Avatar State as they train the different elements. It's the final step to being considered a Fully-Realized Avatar. I can maintain control while in the Avatar State, but it's something I've struggled with. That's what the glow disappearing means, that I'm in control."

Asami sat down on the bed next to Korra "And the glow remaining means you're not in control? How does that happen?"

"It's more of a reflex then anything, either you're trying to keep yourself alive or your emotions get the better of you. I was at Iroh's ceremony when I found out what was happening to you. I've always had a temper, but I completely snapped and lost control. I didn't even know it was possible for someone to be that angry. Now I know how Aang must have felt when it happened to him."

"Is that all it takes? You risk losing control whenever you start to get angry then? I remember when you found my room down there. You looked really angry back then." She waved towards the hidden hatch that led to where her bondage gear was stored.

"I almost lost control then, but you have to understand how it felt for me. Our relationship had just begun when I stumbled in there and you actually admitted that you had considered the idea of taking my bending away. I felt betrayed, it was too much like what Amon did to me. But I realized you didn't want to do it to hurt me. Which is why I came back."

Korra stuck her free hand into her pocket grabbing something that she had been carrying for months now hoping to find the right moment, but it had never come. Korra got off the bed as she knelt down in front of Asami while still holding onto Asami's hand.

Since first coming to Republic City, she had fought as wide a range of opponents as one possibly could. Street gangs, blood-benders, Equalists, the Red Lotus, Kuvira, even the spirit of chaos – Vaatu. It had been exhilarating at moments and filled with desperation and sheer terror at others. And yet, she felt more nervous now looking up into Asami's beautiful green eyes then she ever had before in her life.

"You asked me something the last time when we were in the Fire Nation. 'Korra, what are we?' I didn't have an answer for you then, but I didn't forget about it. I've spent a lot of time thinking these last few months, about that question and a lot of other things."

"I was angrier then I've ever been in my life when Ginger had you, but I was even more scared if you can believe it. The thought of you being taken from me, of not having you in my life anymore... It's made me realize some things."

"The entire time we've known each other... I've been taking you for granted. You've always been there for me ever since we met. I would have been lost so many times without you. Saving me from the Equalists, getting free on that airship then getting us out of the desert or all the times we fought together. I never really thanked you for any of that."

"And you helped me come to terms with who I am. I always liked you deep down but I was ashamed of how I felt until you pulled me through it. And even then, I was afraid of what other people would say or think, but I don't care now. If this changes how our friends feel towards us, they weren't good friends to begin with."

Korra stopped talking as she came to it. The words were there, but for the life of her, she wasn't able to get them out now. Asami smiled softly as she reached down pulling the Avatar's other hand out of her pocket "Just hurry up and ask me already."

Korra almost jumped as the touch of Asami's fingers on her wrist sent a gentle wave of energy up her arm to her lips, allowing her to speak again. "I've said the words 'I love you' in the past, but I never understood what they meant or what love really was. I do now though, I love you Asami."

She uncurled her fingers to reveal a necklace resting on her palm "I know it's a mostly a northern tradition, but it's how my father asked my mother." Asami reached down turning the stone over to look at what was carved on it. The carvings were small, but the four elemental symbols were easily legible. Asami's eyes moved back to Korra's face as the Avatar waited. "Well you haven't actually asked me...but yes I'll marry you."

Korra had been confident that Asami would say yes, but the fear of being rejected had remained coiled up in the pit of her stomach these past months. She felt it withering away at Asami's acceptance and a smile bloomed on Korra's face. She pushed herself back to her feet before fastening the necklace on Asami neck.

Asami brushed her fingers over it for a moment before standing to go look at her reflection. Korra looked at the mirror from behind Asami while twisting her hands "It's not particularly valuable and the carving is a little rough, I hope that's ok..."

Asami turned about, gently pulling Korra to her as she silenced the Avatar with a kiss. Korra's hands fluttered in the air before settling onto Asami's waist. Any lingering concerns she had evaporated at the gentle touch of those lips. Korra murmured softly as the kiss deepened and she felt Asami's arms wrapping around her, one hand gently ruffling through her hair.

It had been months since they had touched each other in any sort of intimate manner for fear of aggravating Asami's injuries. As Asami's body pressed against her, Korra could feel those fears were no longer founded and she ran a hand down to the curve of Asami's hip. Asami finally pulled away and gently bit at her lip. "So...downstairs?"

To her surprise, Korra shook her head. "There's time for that in the future and we'll be down there plenty. But today is about us. No toys or games or anything like that tonight, just the two of us." They looked each other in the eyes for a long moment before Asami gently pushed Korra backwards and onto the bed.

It wasn't their first sexual experience with each other, but this time felt drastically changed from previous times. It had been fast, intense, full of lust and even consuming as both women had sought to feed their erotic appetites with their partners body. As they slowly kissed, the difference was apparent. Their burning ardor from before had been replaced by a gentle passion and yearning to please the other.

Asami pulled away from Korra as she began unbuttoning her shirt revealing pale skin beneath. Korra started to follow suit before stopping short as Asami tossed the shirt aside and undid her bra. "You know, I don't think I've ever told you how beautiful you are." Asami's hand reflexively moved towards the faint scar on her stomach before stopping.

"That doesn't make you any less beautiful." Korra sat up tracing the scar with her fingertips before gently pressing a kiss to it. "It only tells me how strong you are." Asami gently moaned as Korra's mouth climbed upwards to her breasts and her tongue came out to play with the nipples on top.

Korra eventually withdrew as she finished undressing Asami before the favor was returned. Asami's fingers started working their way between Korra's legs to her core and began to softly rub and tease all the parts within. Minutes that felt like eons passed before Asami's lips and tongue arrived to give them company in dancing about the folds within.

The avatar shivered as she felt the tongue caressing her groin's outermost areas before seeking out the middle. She groaned once more before pulling Asami's head away and moving to reposition herself so that each of them was looking at the others pelvic regions.

Korra admired the view she had before groaning as Asami picked up from where she had been interrupted. It didn't take long for her to respond in kind as she began trying to exactly duplicate what Asami was doing on the other end. Wherever Asami's tongue went and what it did, Korra mirrored. Asami giggled when she realized what was happening but didn't object.

Eventually the stimulus of Asami's mouth pushed Korra into climaxing. Her previous orgasms had been short and intense, but this one was almost peaceful and felt like it would last forever. She felt waves spreading outward from her core gently bearing her to a relaxed state of euphoria. After it began to fade, she realized Asami hadn't climaxed and was patiently waiting to be finished off. Korra was happy to oblige her.

The next morning had Korra feeling like she was glowing so brightly that someone might be blinded if they looked at her. Asami was lying next to her in the bed, a smile on her face. "Good morning you. Sleep well?"

Korra stretched her arms towards the ceiling "I haven't slept that well in months. How about you?" "Same here, I was having such a lovely dream too." "What was it about?"

Asami reached over lacing her fingers through Korra's. "I met this amazing woman who ended up asking me to marry her. I said yes, but I woke up before seeing how it was going to end."

Korra laughed "Well, I don't know what the future holds, but we'll find out together."

Authors Note 5/2/2015

So this is where this story ends. If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.


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